Rodríguez finally breaks out: 'I know I put the work in'

SEATTLE -- Julio Rodríguez joked that he wanted the ball back to commemorate the moment. But more so, to bring levity to it.

The Mariners’ star center fielder had just yanked a double down the left-field line in the first inning of Saturday night's 8-7 win over the Astros, ending MLB’s lengthiest drought for a player without an extra-base hit.

Yes, Rodríguez had gone 61 whole plate appearances to begin the season without exiting the batter’s box beyond first base.

Yet, by the end of the Mariners’ walk-off win over the Astros, this stretch that’s sunk his slugging percentage took a dramatic turn. Because Rodríguez didn’t just double -- he also demolished his first homer, one that tied the game in the fifth inning and punctuated a comeback after Houston had scored seven consecutive runs.

“Julio went right-center, and I mean, that's not an easy place to hit a home run,” said J.P. Crawford, who delivered Saturday’s game-winner. “So to see him doing that's a good sign.”

A notorious slow starter over his first four seasons, Rodríguez has played the part as he’s embarked on his fifth. Even after Saturday’s big hits, his .503 OPS ranked 168th of 189 qualified hitters. For his career, he has a .635 OPS in March/April, by far the lowest of any month.

But he’s not allowing the detractors to consume him. Far from it, actually. Rodríguez sees the negative comments, and often keeps the receipts. Then he goes back about his business.

“I’ve seen so many things online, man,” Rodríguez said. “People just talk so much. It’s hilarious. The funniest thing I saw, honestly, was about the bat speed: ‘Oh, the Mariners are swinging slower.’ It’s like, we’re not trying to swing slower. It's just cold ... in Seattle.”

He might have a point.

Temperatures at first pitch during Seattle’s opening homestand hovered in the low 40s, and the Mariners’ bat speeds -- tracked by Statcast -- showed a dip, but it’s been negligible (72.3 mph from last year to 71.8 mph). The more noticeable drop was in hard-hit rate (42.8% to 35.1%), which has been the sport’s largest dip.

But again, the Mariners are looking at this more holistically, and this sample size is just 15 games -- less than 10% of the entire season.

Rodríguez’s bat speed, however, hasn’t tapered, which is why he was probably quick to point to that criticism. He’s averaging 75.8 mph on his hacks, which ranks in Statcast’s 94th percentile. Last year, it was 76.4 mph, which was in the 96th percentile.

Saturday’s double had a bat speed of 84.2 mph and the homer was at 77.9 mph, both well above the league average of 71.8 mph.

“It’s hilarious just to see so many people just trying to find answers, trying to talk about something,” Rodríguez said. “It’s like, ‘Guys, I wish you knew how this actually goes.’ For the people that actually watch all 162 games, you know you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. But eventually, the results will be there. The best teams are going to be playing in the playoffs.”

Combatants to the “it’s early” adage and underselling urgency in April might have justification after the Mariners missed the postseason by one game in 2023 and ‘24. And the expectations for the ‘26 team have never been higher, which can create a fight-or-flight dynamic among a starved fan base after losses.

But Rodríguez is unapologetically not going to live like that.

“We can’t get into the playoffs with [15] games played,” Rodríguez said. “That’s the perspective we always want to remember. We’re not going to win 162 games, either. Or 150 games or something like that. It’s how you navigate the ups and downs. It’s how you brush off a tough road trip and continue to be in the present moment.”

And that’s precisely why he poked fun at himself that he wanted the ball back from his first double on Saturday.

“That’s how I am, though,” he said. “That’s how I learned to play the game. Just do the best I can. Control what you can control. Prepare every day. Put my body, my mind in the best position that I can. The results eventually will show. And I feel like that’s something that would describe my career so far, and that’s kind of how I want to continue to do it.

“I know I prepare myself. I know I put the work in. I know I’m not cutting corners anywhere. That’s why I’m always so confident that things are going to show.”