It’s official: the city of Seattle is full of hope again when it comes to baseball.
The Seattle Mariners are back to being a consistently competitive team, and are about to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
That’s a 21-year drought: yes, it’s long overdue.
At 76-59, they currently occupy the second of three Wild Card spots.
The closest non-playoff team, the Baltimore Orioles, are five games behind the M’s, so they have a solid cushion as we head to the last month of the season.
A big reason why the Mariners have been so good is outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
The young slugger seems destined to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, and is slashing .272/.331/.479 with 23 home runs and 24 stolen bases.
He also put on a show in the Home Run Derby and has been carrying his team for years.
Julio Is Quite The Fan Favorite Already
He quickly became a fan favorite and not just because of his excellent play.
Charisma and an outgoing, fun-loving personality has helped him make thousands of fans around baseball.
The youngest one, a little girl who was writing a sign that said “Julio’s #1 fan”, got a huge surprise.
“She working hard on her @JRODshow44 sign for tomorrow’s @Mariners game it’s so awesome how much she now enjoys the game and following her favorite player,” @MarinersGuy87 tweeted, with a picture of the young girl drawing the sign.
Rodriguez saw the mention on Twitter and extended a cool invitation.
“Get close by the dougout, I got to make sure I sign it for her! She’s the best!” the player tweeted, and fans started to congratulate him for the gesture in his replies.
get close by the dougout, I got to make sure I sign it for her!🤞🏽🥹💙 she’s the best! https://t.co/dTcAunBIsB
— Julio Rodriguez🇩🇴🦁 (@JRODshow44) September 5, 2022
We were given a proper update that saw the magical autograph take place in person.
Guys check this out…. @JRODshow44 came up big and man her day is made!! Thanks to @ROOTSPORTS_NW @Mariners for making it happen #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/BX79GRO9Dq
— Zach (@MarinersGuy87) September 5, 2022
Things like that are what makes baseball such a beautiful game.
NEXT: Erik Swanson Is Helping To Carry The Mariners Bullpen