Julio Rodriguez Makes Joke on Fly Out to Show Mariners He Learned From Baserunning Blunder
Julio Rodriguez has a sense of humor, which is a very useful thing when the entire internet has spent five days roasting you for the same play.
The Seattle Mariners star had one of the most embarrassing errors of the season on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, when he flipped a ball to a fan thinking there were three outs when there were, in fact, only two. Brewers fans, Twitter, and every mocking baseball highlight account had a field day. It cost Seattle a run in a game they eventually lost.
Fast forward to Saturday at T-Mobile Park against the Chicago Cubs. Score tied at 5-5 in the top of the 10th inning. Two outs. Rodriguez tracked down a fly ball in the outfield.
Before tossing the ball to a fan in the stands, the three-time All-Star made a deliberate, exaggerated hand gesture. He held up three fingers. He was telling the crowd, and the world, that he knew exactly how many outs there were this time. Then he flipped it into the seats.
The Jomboy Media clip took off immediately. Julio learned his lesson, and he wanted everyone to know it.
The bit had extra juice because the Mariners actually won the game. Leo Rivas ripped an RBI single later in the 10th inning to give Seattle a 6-5 win and snap a losing skid. It was the kind of scrappy road-style win the Mariners have needed as they push for a return to the playoffs.
Rodriguez did not have his best day at the plate. He went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts. But the vibe was completely different from Tuesday. On Tuesday, he looked defeated. On Saturday, he looked like a guy back in control of his own narrative.
That matters more than the stat line, actually. Seattle needs Rodriguez to be the emotional heartbeat of this roster. When he is playing loose and having fun, the whole clubhouse plays better. When he is pressing and looking miserable, everyone tightens up.
The Mariners are in a fight for their playoff lives right now. Every game against a fringe contender like the Cubs is a game they cannot afford to give away. They gave one away on Tuesday because of Rodriguez’s mistake. They got one back Saturday because he shook it off and helped close out the win.
This is also a good reminder of how modern baseball players handle viral mistakes. Ten years ago, a player probably would have refused to talk about it, avoided cameras, and pretended it never happened. Rodriguez leaned into it. He made a joke of it. He gave the internet a new clip to talk about, one that showed him in on the bit.
That is the right approach. Making fun of yourself is disarming. It kills the momentum of the pile-on. And it reminds everyone that Rodriguez is still one of the more entertaining players in the sport when he is at his best.
The Mariners have 30-plus games left to decide their season. If Rodriguez keeps playing loose, they have a real shot.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
