Tag: Julio Rodriguez

Mariners sign Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s brother

Canaan Smith-Njigba is an outfielder who was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

The City of Seattle clearly enjoyed having one Smith-Njigba play for one of their teams so much they decided to bring in another. Seahawks rising star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have some family in town, as the Mariners just signed his brother, Canaan Smith-Njigba, to the team.

Canaan Smith-Njigba is an outfielder who was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, where he made his MLB debut. The Pirates designated Smith-Njigba for assignment, and it seems he has found his next MLB home.

The connection between the Smith-Njigba family and Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodriguez is certainly noticed. Julio raised the 12th Man Flag for the Seahawks game versus the Steelers this past December, and he had an extended interaction with JSN on the sidelines.

Clearly, Julio was a fan of the move to sign JSN’s brother Canaan, and shared his excitement on his Instagram story.

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Julio Rodriguez to raise the 12th Man Flag

JULIOOOOOOOOOOO

There have been plenty of special guests who’ve raised the iconic 12th Man Flag in the south end zone this year. From former Super Bowl MVP’s to TV celebrities, the pride of the 12’s runs far and wide.

But the Seattle Seahawks have perhaps saved the best for last. For the home finale, the honors will go to Mariners All Star centerfielder Julio Rodriguez. Two days ago, Julio turned 23 years old. What could possibly be a better way to close out the birthday week?

Julio has only been in Seattle for two years now, but it is incomprehensible how beloved he has become among fans everywhere. In his short time, Julio has easily become one of the most popular Seattle sports figures. Of course, winning two Siler Slugger awards, making two All Star games, and winning Rookie of the Year certainly helps!

Last year, Julio became the first player in MLB history to hit 25 home runs and log 25 steals in each of his first two seasons. He also became the fastest Mariner to 50 career home runs, blowing past Alex Rodriguez.

When Julio takes center stage in the south end zone, there is no doubt this stadium will erupt. Already juiced to take on the hated Pittsburgh Steelers, the 12th Man will be ready to roar.

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When the calendar flips to October, it means one thing for many sports fans: playoff baseball.

Major League Baseball’s postseason is in full swing. It’s once again time for history to be written on the diamond and showcase the game’s biggest stars shining their brightest.

At the end of every regular season, the MLB releases the top-selling jerseys from that season.

Unsurprisingly, the list contains plenty of playoff contenders, a multitude of MVP candidates and simply some of the best baseball players on the planet

Check out the full list below, and grab a jersey to support your favorite player as the remaining lucky few march on towards the 2023 World Series.

Julio Rodriguez fooled an entire stadium of fans by faking like he didn’t rob Fernando Tatis Jr. of a HR

He fooled fans, the broadcast, Tatis Jr. himself … everyone!

Oh, Julio Rodriguez. You got us all.

We’ve seen baseball players fake that they did rob a player of a home run. But the young Seattle Mariners star did the opposite: When Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a ball to straightaway center, it nearly went over the wall. J-Rod caught it … but he didn’t reveal it right away.

No, he just started walking away like it went beyond his glove. And then he revealed it with a smirk and a celebration.

I LOVE THIS. I’ve seen a few tweets remaking that it was taunting, but whatever! Baseball should be fun!

Everyone from fans to the booth was fooled:

Lip-readers deciphered Julio Rodriguez’s justified reaction to getting hit with a 103 MPH Jhoan Duran pitch

“IT HURT!”

Jhoan Duran throws fast. Like, BLAZINGLY fast. Like, RECORD BREAKING fast.

So, yeah: You don’t want to get hit by one of his triple-digits fastballs. It’ll leave a mark, or much, much worse.

Luckily, it seems like young Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez is OK after he got hit by a pitch thrown by Duran that was clocked at 103 MPH. And thanks to lip-reading from @PitchingNinja, we know what he appeared to say.

MORE: Every MLB stadium in 2023, ranked

“My life …” As in, my life flashed before my eyes.

Then? “It hurt!”

Yeah, I’d expect that. Glad he’s OK Check out the moment and the response:

Marshawn Lynch draws cheers from Home Run Derby crowd

While Shohei Ohtani and Julio Rodriguez got plenty of attention, the biggest star in this town is still Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch.

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Seattle is the home of the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star game. Last night was the home run derby at T-Mobile park. While Shohei Ohtani and Julio Rodriguez got plenty of attention, the biggest star in this town is still Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch.

Watch the crowd cheer Beast Mode as he brought out the derby trophy.

Lynch later presented it to the winner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose father won the derby 16 years ago.

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Tigers sign Nicaraguan pitcher who struck out Juan Soto, Rafael Devers and Julio Rodriguez at World Baseball Classic

Duque Hebbert pitched just one inning, but he made quite an impression.

The World Baseball Classic is not just a celebration of the global love for the game. It can also be a pathway to achieving your wildest dreams.

That’s the reality for Duque Hebbert. The right-handed pitcher for Nicaragua came in for the ninth inning of a losing effort against the Dominican Republic, one of the favorites, and he wasted little time in an opportunity against a lineup filled with MLB stars.

He gave up one hit in the frame but issued three absolutely filthy strikeouts, which came against none other than a trio of 2022 all-stars in Juan Soto, Rafael Devers and Julio Rodriguez.

Oh, and did I mention the one hit was allowed to Manny Machado?

It appears at least one MLB club took notice of Hebbert’s impressive performance. He met with Detroit Tigers scout Luis Molina after the game who, after a brief conversation, offered him a minor league contract.

The announcement was later made on the bus in front of the entire Nicaraguan team, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

It’s the kind of story that feels tailor-made for Hollywood, and Hebbert’s progress in the minors will be something to watch as the 5-foot-9 21-year-old hopes to complete one of the most unlikely paths to the majors imaginable.

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Julio Rodriguez couldn’t help but laugh after Jose Altuve’s incredible jumping throw in the ALDS

Love to see that.

When it comes to postseason baseball, we’re more accustomed to seeing hyper-focused intensity to go along with the high stakes of the playoffs. But sometimes, a play can be so good that you just have to smile and tip the cap to the opponent.

Jose Altuve had one of those moments on Thursday.

During the third inning of Game 2 of the ALDS between the Astros and Mariners, Julio Rodriguez hit a grounder up the middle that easily could have been a tying RBI with two outs. Yet, Altuve brilliantly cut the ball off with a backhand and immediately went into his throw off a fading jump.

After all that, Altuve somehow managed to get enough on the throw to beat Rodriguez to the bag who had just about the best reaction imaginable for that kind of play.

Just wow.

It’s important to emphasize just how ridiculous that play was. Not only was the degree of difficulty off the charts for Altuve, but Rodriguez is also among the fastest players in baseball (97th percentile, according to Baseball Savant).

Rodriguez smiled in disbelief about the play, and he initially thought he beat the throw. But replays would show that Altuve clearly got him by a step. No wonder fans loved that entire sequence from the two stars.

What the world was like the last time the Seattle Mariners made the playoffs

This list is going to make you feel OLD.

The Seattle Mariners are playoff bound for the first time in 21 years.

And what an epic entrance into the postseason it was, too. Cal Raleigh hit a game-sealing homerun that also sealed the Mariners’ first playoff berth. It was such a fitting end to what has turned out to be a magical season for Seattle.

But, obviously, 21 years is a long time. That means the last time the Mariners made the playoffs was in 2001. Someone who hadn’t even been born yet might be able to legally drink a beer in that time span.

So we thought it’d be fun to take a look back and see what the world was like the last time the Mariners made the playoffs. Below is that list. And it’s almost certainly going to make you feel old, but it’ll also be a fun trip down memory lane.

Enjoy.

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Seahawks and Mariners showing each other some love

Seattle’s two most prominent professional teams are giving each other plenty of acknowledgement online.

Seahawks football is right around the corner with an appointment against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, but baseball is the talk of the town in the Emerald City right now. The Seahawks’ neighbors to the south of Lumen Field, the Mariners, are in the midst of one of their best seasons in the last 20 years. Seattle’s professional teams have always had a supportive bond, and right now, that bond is on full display.

It started on when Seahawks tight end Will Dissly ended his press conference with an important announcement. Seattle’s athletes have never been shy about dipping their toes into the political scene, and Dissly took the time for a crucial midterm election update.

In today’s divided political climate, Mitch Haniger might be one of the few who can garner true bipartisan support, especially with his high caliber of play. Since returning from injury, Haniger has resumed his typical production, including hitting a walk-off single to defeat the Cleveland Guardians last weekend.

Of course, what true-to-the-blue Seattle fan could vote against a man wearing such a stylish Seahawks shirt.

Following the Mariners’ sweep of the Detroit Tigers, the team boarded the plane with a theme of football jerseys. Haniger was not alone in his support for the Seahawks. Pitcher Matt Boyd, who grew up in the Seattle area, made his debut for the Mariners and can be seen wearing the retro Steve Largent jersey.

Additionally, fellow Seattle-kid Jake Lamb is behind Haniger wearing another retro Seahawks look.

But of course, the player who will catch the eye of all the 12’s is most assuredly rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez wearing a DK Metcalf jersey.

This did not go unnoticed by the Seahawks star receiver, who shared support for the centerfielder on his Instagram story.

There is little doubt the two biggest stars in the Seattle sports landscape are DK Metcalf and Julio Rodriguez. With both of them signing incredibly lucrative extensions this summer, the 12th Man will have plenty of opportunities to watch both players dominate their respective sports for years to come.

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