Julio Rodriguez has put on a show this season.
The Seattle Mariners rookie hit his 20th home run of the season yesterday.
Seattle lost to the Washington Nationals by a final of 3-1, but that didn’t take away from the excitement of Rodriguez’s accomplishment.
In fact, Rodriguez now finds himself in some elite company with players such as Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Davis, Dave Kingman, and other greats.
With that home run, Rodriguez became the second-quickest player to hit 20 home runs, having done so in his 107th career game.
Tatis is the only one ahead of him in that company, having done it in 97 games.
Julio Rodríguez hit his 20th HR of the season, becoming one of the fastest players since 1900 to reach 20 career home runs and 20 stolen bases.
With today being his 107th career game Rodríguez is 2nd only to Fernando Tatis Jr. in fewest games to reach that mark. pic.twitter.com/3bSrDyCQ9H
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 24, 2022
J-Rod Makes History
This is a big accomplishment for Rodriguez.
To be in the same company as Trout, Tatis, and other great players is something special.
Rodriguez, in addition to his 20 homers, is hitting .271 with 64 RBI and an .803 OPS in 417 at-bats.
He’s provided the spark that the Mariners have needed for some time and is a big reason as to why they find themselves right in the thick of the postseason race and with a chance to break their playoff drought, something that has plagued the franchise since 2001.
Rodriguez brings great energy to the game of baseball in addition to his talent and is going to be a key building block for the Mariners in the future.
Now, he can celebrate having reached the 20-home run plateau.
With over a month left in the season, it’s very possible that he could end up reaching 30 home runs and potentially even passing that mark.
That would make him the clear-cut favorite to win Rookie of the Year in the American League.
NEXT: The Mariners Are In A Familiar Position In 2022