SEATTLE -- Bryan Woo brought some fiery edge to the mound against the Majors’ hottest team on Wednesday afternoon, and it sure looked like his demeanor rubbed off on Julio Rodríguez during one of the game’s biggest moments.
Because, when Rodríguez pummeled a Statcast-projected 436-foot homer into the T-Mobile Pen during the sixth inning of a 3-1 win over the Braves, the star center fielder quite literally shook upon exiting the batter’s box.
After connecting with a whopping 110.4 mph exit velocity, Rodríguez clenched his fists, then shouted as his arms trembled, before an emphatic bat flip down the first-base line. Woo, meanwhile, was on the dugout’s top bench immediately after his outing ended, mouth agape in awe and approval.
But arguably the most consequential play took place in the eighth -- and was in the video room of the home clubhouse.
Having just surrendered a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, Eduard Bazardo made a quick pickoff attempt on pinch-runner Jorge Mateo. To the naked eye, he looked safe. But after a brief delay, Mariners video and replay operations coordinator Jake Kuruc phoned the dugout to challenge.
And sure enough, Josh Naylor’s quick tag and Mateo’s nonchalant return to the bag indeed generated the frame’s second out, helping Bazardo get out of the jam. That set up Naylor to score a huge insurance run a half-inning later, with a single and a stolen base before scoring on Cole Young’s double to the right-field wall. That also extended Young’s team RBIs lead to 20.
But the day’s unsung MVP was easily Jose A. Ferrer, who locked down his second save -- and became Seattle’s first reliever this season to pitch three days in a row.
With Andrés Muñoz unavailable having pitched on Monday and Tuesday, when he took his third loss in his 16th outing, Ferrer’s gritty effort to get through the meat of Atlanta’s order -- led off by Matt Olson and capped with an ABS challenge to Mauricio Dubón to end it -- was impressive.