<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/seattle-mariners/mariners-news-kevin-durant-julio-rodriguez-kd-of-baseball');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevin Durant reveals why Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez is ‘KD of baseball’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mariners-news-Kevin-Durant-reveals-why-Julio-Rodriguez-is-KD-of-baseball.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant reveals why Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez is ‘KD of baseball’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-12T10:21:38-07:00">March 12th, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-12T10:21:38-07:00">March 12th, 10:21am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevin Durant has been a big fan of Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez for quite some time. In his first two seasons in the majors, he took the league by storm.</p><p>For instance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-reflects-on-special-seattle-season-after-al-rookie-of-the-year-award-win">Rodriguez won the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year award</a>. Not to mention, he made the All-Star game twice, as well as winning the Silver Slugger award.</p><p>His start to his career is quite similar to Durant’s. The latter won the 2007 Rookie of the Year, and made the All-Star game, only two seasons later.</p><p>Since then, he’s won multiple championships and solidified himself as one of the best NBA players ever. While it might too early to tell for Rodriguez, the current Phoenix Suns All-Star explained why he <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1899860618095554911" rel="noopener">sees his younger self</a> in the Mariners star.</p><p>“He’s a young guy in the league, building his name; his reputation, Durant said via MLB on X (formerly Twitter). “Gaining respect from a lot of fans around the world.”</p><p>The respect has come in from a flurry of directions. Other players in the league have shouted him out, along with fans. As a native of the Dominican Republic, a barrage of players have seen his greatness.</p><p>For example, one of his teammates, Luis Castillo, sees the greatness, along with guys like Fernando Tatis Jr and Juan Soto. That support is huge, for a player who is entering his fourth season in the league.</p><h2><b>Why did Kevin Durant call Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez ‘KD’?</b></h2><p>During the 2023 season, there was a moment when the current NBA star knew that the Mariners had some special. As a result, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-patrick-mahomes-kevin-durant-react-to-julio-rodriguez-home-run-derby-performance">Durant reacted to Rodriguez’s showing in the Home Run Derby</a>. He put on a masterful performance in his sophomore season.</p><p>There have been plenty of times when the two stars have shown love for one another. For example, the Mariners franchise player went to a Suns game this season to cheer on Durant. The <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/mariners/news/seattle-mariners-star-julio-rodriguez-arrives-at-spring-training-and-immediately-hangs-with-nba-legend-kevin-durant" rel="noopener">two also linked up</a> before the beginning of Spring Training.</p><p>Superstars across different sports will typically support one another. They understand the commitment, dedication, and even the struggle.</p><p>Rodriguez left his home to pursue a career in the MLB. Meanwhile, Durant left a rough situation in his DMV area to pursue basketball.</p><p>Both players have made names for themselves, with Durant establishing himself as one of the best NBA players ever. Will Rodriguez get to that point in the MLB?</p><p>It might be too early to tell, but a promising start to his career is definitely promising, to say the least.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant reveals why Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez is ‘KD of baseball’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-dangerous-warning-mlb-teams-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez fires ‘dangerous’ warning to MLB teams for 2025 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mariners-news-Julio-Rodriguez-fires-dangerous-warning-to-MLB-teams-for-2025-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez fires ‘dangerous’ warning to MLB teams for 2025 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-15T18:20:19-08:00">November 15th, 6:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-15T18:20:19-08:00">November 15th, 6:20pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-insane-mlb-history-win-over-astros">strong finish to the 2024 season</a>, Julio Rodriguez isn’t taking the Seattle Mariners lightly when looking ahead to the 2025 MLB season, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.</p><p>“I feel like we ended on a really good note as a team,” Rodríguez said. “And I feel like, if you take that over six months, I feel like we’re going to be in a completely different spot. I feel like that team, how we finished, we’re a dangerous team. And there is no secret about it. We have really good pitching. We’ve got guys that can score runs on anybody. And I just feel like if we continue to build on that, I feel like that’s our next step.”</p><p>Rodriguez, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, finished 2024 with 20 home runs, 68 RBI, 25 stolen bases and a .273/.325/.409/.734 slash line. While his power numbers were down, Rodriguez continues to be one of the best young players in the game. He became the second player in MLB history to have 20 home runs and 20 steals in each of his first three seasons.</p><h2><b>Mariners looking to retool roster for 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mariners-Julio-Rodriguez-celebrating-in-the-dugout.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Mariners’ starting rotation featured Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto clarified in late September that the team had no intention of trading away any piece of its starting staff.</p><p>“Trading pitchers from their rotation would be Plan Z. We have no intention of doing that.”</p><p>General manager Josh Hollander discussed the roster in more detail earlier this month and the Mariners’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-what-mariners-want-add-offseason">offseason plans</a>.</p><p>“We feel really good about the way our outfield is coming together,” Hollander told Murray. “Julio (Rodriguez) in center. Victor (Robles) in right. Randy Arozarena in left. We also have Luke Raley, who can play out there in addition to playing first base. We feel like it’s a pretty high-end outfield. … Our infield situation is a little less certain right now, and finding a way to add some certainty and offense to that group is a priority this winter.”</p><p>One infielder Seattle wants to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-justin-turner-discussing-reunion">bring into the fold</a> is Justin Turner.</p><p>“We’ve already had discussions with JT and reiterated our interest that we expressed at the end of the season,” Hollander said. “He’s a player that connected with a lot of different parts of our clubhouse and really did make a connection with our team, with our coaches [and] with our front office. We’d love to have JT back.”</p><p>Taylor spent much of his career with the Dodgers but played 48 games with the Mariners in 2024.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez fires ‘dangerous’ warning to MLB teams for 2025 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-insane-mlb-history-win-over-astros');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez makes insane MLB history in win over Astros');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Julio-Rodriguez-makes-insane-MLB-history-in-win-over-Astros.jpg"></figure><h1>Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez makes insane MLB history in win over Astros</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-25T19:26:38-07:00">September 25th, 7:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-25T19:33:55-07:00">September 25th, 7:33pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Seattle Mariners blew out the Houston Astros 8-1 on Wednesday. The Astros have already locked up the American League West and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-yordan-alvarez-ruled-out-rest-regular-season-knee-injury">were playing without DH Yordan Alvarez</a>, who was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. The Mariners on the other hand, are clinging to hopes of securing the final AL Wild Card berth. The decisive victory also included a bit of MLB history.</p><p>Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez became just the <a href="https://x.com/BRWalkoff/status/1839044846041858416" rel="noopener">second player ever</a> to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in each of his first three seasons, per B/R Walk-Off on X.</p><p>Rodriguez hit a 416 foot bomb to left center field in the ninth inning to make it an 8-1 game. It was the two-time All-Star’s 20th homer of the season. He had 24 stolen bases entering the game Wednesday.</p><p>The Mariners’ star announced his presence in the pros during his first season in 2022. He had 28 home runs and 25 steals that season, along with an OPS+ of 147, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, in 2023, Rodriguez was even better. He had 37 doubles, 32 homers, 37 steals, 103 RBI and 102 runs scored with an OPS+ of 130. He finished fourth in MVP voting last year.</p><h2><b>Julio Rodriguez joined Bobby Witt Jr. as only players with three 20/20 seasons to start a career</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Julio-Rodriguez.jpg"><figcaption>Tim Heitman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This season, despite missing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-injury-return">three weeks of action with a high ankle sprain</a>, Rodriguez has 17 doubles, 20 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 67 RBI and 73 runs scored. He’s posted an OPS+ of 117 and 4.1 bWAR in 140 games for the Mariners.</p><p>At one point, Seattle held a 10-game lead in the AL West. Despite boasting one of the best starting rotations in baseball and buying at the trade deadline – bringing in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-seattle-trades-for-rays-star-randy-arozarena-in-bombshell-move">Randy Arozarena in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays</a> and landing veteran infielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-seattle-trade-blue-jays-justin-turner">Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays</a> – the Mariners were unable to retain control of the division. The team even tried shaking things up by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-scott-servais-learned-firing-harsh-manner">firing long-time manager Scott Servais</a>, replacing him with former player Dan Wilson. Nonetheless, their seemingly insurmountable double digit lead evaporated and the Astros won the AL West.</p><p>Still, Seattle has a special player in Rodriguez. Kansas City Royals star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/royals-news-bobby-witt-jr-milestone-not-seen-before-mlb-history">Bobby Witt Jr. is the only other player</a> to start his career with three straight 20/20 seasons. Witt has actually gone 30/30 in his last two seasons. This year the All-Star shortstop has 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He also leads MLB in hits (208) and batting average (.335) and boasts a .989 OPS, an OPS+ of 173 and 9.4 bWAR in 157 games for the Royals.</p><p>Kansas City is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the second AL Wild Card spot. The Mariners are 2.5 games out of the final playoff berth.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez makes insane MLB history in win over Astros

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mariners-news-mariners-julio-rodriguez-breaks-silence-scott-servais-firing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez breaks silence on Scott Servais firing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mariners-news-Julio-Rodriguez-breaks-silence-on-Scott-Servais-firing.jpg"></figure><h1>Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez breaks silence on Scott Servais firing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-23T18:01:46-07:00">August 23rd, 6:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-24T08:30:57-07:00">August 24th, 8:30am</time><address><a>Steve Silverman</a>Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including "Who's Better, Who's Best in the NFL." He has won multiple awards from the Pro Football Writers of America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-scott-servais-message-firing"> Seattle Mariners have decided</a> that they needed a new voice from their managerial seat, and they fired Scott Servais and replaced him with former Mariners All-Star catcher Dan Wilson.</p><p>The team has slumped badly after building a double-digit lead in the American League West, and the Mariners now trail the Houston Astros by 5.5 games. Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez <a href="https://x.com/DKramer_/status/1827132743182094397">did not act surprised</a> by the dismissal of his manager.</p><p>“I’m just focused on playing baseball. Those decisions are outside the players. That’s obviously higher up. We’re employees here, just like everybody is, so we’ve just got to show up and play baseball.”</p><p>While many observers were not expecting the Mariners to fire Servais, Rodriguez did not rush to his manager’s defense.</p><p>The Mariners had been successful earlier in the year because their pitching staff had been dominant. Their hitting has been an issue all season, and it has gotten worse in recent weeks.</p><h2><b>Servais had a long run with the Mariners</b></h2><p>Servais was in his ninth season with the Mariners, and he had put together a career record of 680-642. He was tied with Dave Roberts of the Dodgers in having the second-longest tenure of any manager in the major leagues.</p><p>The Mariners were 13 games over .500 as of June 18, but they have struggled badly since then, and they have fallen to 64-64 as they prepare for a three-game weekend series at home against the San Francisco Giants.</p><p>Seattle had lost eight of nine games on their recent road trip, and that slump had preceded the Servais firing. The Mariners lost all three games in a series with the Detroit Tigers, lost two of three to a Pittsburgh Pirates team that had lost 10 games in a row, and then dropped all three in a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-little-league-world-series-scott-servais-dan-wilson">Wilson played 14 seasons</a> in the big leagues, and 12 of those seasons were with the Mariners. He was an All-Star in 1996, but he has never managed at any professional level.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez breaks silence on Scott Servais firing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-injury-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez set to make injury return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Julio-Rodriguez-set-to-make-injury-return.jpg"></figure><h1>Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez set to make injury return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-11T10:20:57-07:00">August 11th, 10:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-11T10:41:55-07:00">August 11th, 10:41am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodriguez is set to make his <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40822344/sources-julio-rodriguez-expected-return-mariners-lineup" rel="noopener">return to the lineup</a> on Sunday against the New York Mets, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Rodriguez will be activated off the injured list and take the designated hitter spot for Sunday’s game.</p><p>Rodriguez hasn’t played since July 21 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mariners-news-julio-rodriguez-update-after-injury-scare">due to a high ankle sprain</a>. The Mariners star suffered the injury while making a play on the ball up against the fence in center field. While it’s unclear when Rodriguez will return to the outfield, using him as a designated hitter will allow him to ease his way back into the lineup.</p><p>The 23-year-old Rodriguez is having a bit of a down season after making the All-Star Game the first two years of his career, but he had found his groove and power right before suffering the ankle injury. Seattle is hoping he’ll regain that groove down the stretch during a tight race for the AL West. Rodriguez is slashing .263/.315/.372 this year, with 11 home runs and 37 RBI to his name. This comes after he hit 32 dingers and drove in 103 runs in 2023.</p><p>If Rodriguez returns to form, that will be a huge boost for a Mariners team that has struggled offensively for much of the season.</p><h2><b>Julio Rodriguez, Mariners fighting for AL West</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Julio-Rodriguez-celebrates-after-scoring-a-run-for-the-Mariners-on-July-5.jpeg"><figcaption>Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Seattle has won three games in a row, getting them to 62-56 on the year. That has them tied with the similarly surging Houston Astros, who have won four games in a row and have totally turned their season around after a dismal start.</p><p>The Mariners have scored the third-fewest runs in the AL in 2024, but the return of Julio Rodriguez and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-mariners-rays-blockbuster-randy-arozarena-trade">trade for Randy Arozarena</a> make their lineup much more formidable. Seattle is going to have to score more runs in order to pull out the AL West over the Astros.</p><p>Or maybe the Mariners won’t have to do that if their pitching staff continues on at such an elite level. Seattle hasn’t allowed a run yet against New York in this series, improving a league-best ERA to 3.44 after Saturday’s 4-0 shutout followed up Friday’s 6-0 win.</p><p>Either way, getting Rodriguez back should be a positive during this intense race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.167	1	2	0.792	2

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.167	1	2	0.792	2

Julio
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Julio Rodríguez

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