Julio Rodríguez hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to help the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Friday night, interrupting Jacob deGrom’s return to the mound.
DeGrom, back after having Tommy John surgery in April 2023, pitched 3 2/3 innings and left with a 2-0 lead. The Rangers were ahead 4-0 at that point.
Rodríguez sparked Seattle’s comeback with a double in the seventh inning, which led to two runs. In the eighth inning, he hit his 15th home run of the season to deep left field with two outs off David Robertson (3-4).
“I feel like that’s every player’s dream,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like if you go across leagues and sports, as a player you want to be in the batter’s box in those moments.”
JT Chargois (3-1) got the win by striking out three in the eighth inning, and Andrés Muñoz got his 21st save by striking out one in the ninth.
In his first game since April 2023, DeGrom struck out four and allowed four hits, showing some of the speed and power that earned him two Cy Young Awards. He reached 98 mph at times but left before finishing the third inning when he hit his pitch count limit.
“The last thing that I’m trying to figure out is my slider,” deGrom admitted. “You know, it’s not as consistent as it normally is.”
Texas took a 2-0 lead early, taking advantage of a mistake by Emerson Hancock. Hancock hit the leadoff batter Marcus Semien, who advanced to third on Josh Smith’s single. Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung each had two-out RBI singles for a 2-0 lead.
Wyatt Langford hit a solo home run off Hancock to make it 3-0, his 11th of the season. Lowe added another RBI single in the seventh to make it 4-0.
DeGrom was pitching well until the fourth inning when Josh Raley doubled and advanced to third on Justin Turner’s single. Manager Bruce Bochy pulled DeGrom one out later on his 61st pitch.
