SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh will go into the final day of the regular season sitting on 60 home runs after another quiet night at the plate, but there were still a pair of notable milestones that his teammates achieved in a 5-3 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night.
Julio Rodríguez achieved a coveted 30/30 season when stealing his 29th and 30th bases of the year in the first inning, to go with his 32 homers that have matched a career high (also in 2023, when he secured his first 30/30 season).
And rookie Harry Ford notched his first career hit, ripping a 102.2 mph, two-out single off Tyler Glasnow in the second inning in his first MLB start, filling in for Raleigh at catcher while the American League MVP candidate got off his feet and started as the designated hitter.
Even sweeter for the Mariners’ No. 4 prospect was that the ball he connected on was tracked down and given directly to him by the player he grew up idolizing: Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. Ford looked up to the nine-time All-Star during his 12 seasons in Ford’s hometown of Atlanta. Freeman also warmly greeted Ford behind the plate during his first at-bat of the night in the first inning, which evoked a wide grin from the 21-year-old backstop.
“It was pretty surreal to see him there,” Ford said. “And yeah, it was definitely a moment I won't forget.”
Ford was just 7 years old when Freeman debuted with the Braves in 2010, was a senior in high school when Freeman won the 2020 NL MVP Award and was just a few months removed from being selected by Seattle in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft when Freeman led the Braves to a World Series title. Freeman then signed with the Dodgers the following offseason.
Ford, who like Freeman in 2010, was a September callup when getting his first shot in The Show, made his big league debut earlier this month -- in Atlanta, on Sept. 5. He was also behind the plate in Wednesday’s win that clinched the AL West, taking over for Raleigh at catcher to begin the ninth inning -- and taking part in the clubhouse celebration that followed.
“This type of environment teaches you a lot,” Ford said. “Seeing the preparation daily and just how everyone goes about their business, it's definitely different from what I've seen in the past.”
Ford’s big moment Saturday was a feel-good story even in defeat, as the Mariners (90-71) entered play with nothing at stake, having already been locked into the AL’s No. 2 seed in the postseason, with a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AL Division Series, slated to begin next Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
That’s largely why he was in the starting lineup to begin with, as Ford has been with the Mariners all month but had played in only six games and made four plate appearances. He was called up as Seattle’s third catcher in an effort to give him valuable long-term experience of being in a playoff push.
Saturday marked the first time since the Mariners clinched the division that they rested most of their starters. It’s why Logan Gilbert was on an abbreviated workload (75 pitches over five innings). Raleigh was an exception, given that he’s within striking distance of the AL record for homers in a single-season (62), held by Aaron Judge, with whom he’s in a head-to-head race for AL MVP.
So was Rodríguez, who’s now played in all but one of the Mariners’ 161 games while logging 1,406 1/3 innings in the field, third-most in MLB -- his durability being a key factor in allowing to achieve the statistical milestone underscoring his power and speed combo. That style of play could be hugely valuable in the postseason, where every base matters.
“This is what got us here,” Rodríguez said. “Like, there's no way that we're going to change it. We're not going to try to be a different team or like try to play safe. Obviously, we're going to be smart, like when to run and all that. But I think we're going to be aggressive.”
Despite a pedestrian start by his standards, which prompted him to skip the All-Star Game for rest and a mental reset, Rodríguez is going into the playoffs on a heater, hitting .290 with a .901 OPS and 19 homers since the break.
“It's very easy to shy away when things are not going right,” Rodríguez said. “But I feel like that's just not me. Regardless of what happens, I'm always going to continue to move forward.”