Julio Rodriguez has been nothing short of outstanding as the Seattle Mariners have climbed back into contention for an American League wild card spot — and he put on a show against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday afternoon.

Rodriguez amassed five hits, including his 20th home run of the year, as the Mariners edged the Royals 6-4. His fifth hit made him the first player in franchise history to club that many long balls in each of his first two seasons. His five RBI also tied a career high.

“I was really proud and grateful that I was able to do that for the team,” Rodriguez said after the important win.

The wins are starting to pile up for a Seattle team that now sits just a half-game back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot in the AL.

Rodriguez's excellence has been a large part of that; he just wrapped up a 12-for-21 four-game set with a home run, three doubles, 11 RBIs, three stolen bases and just four strikeouts, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer.

“He's such a special talent,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said afterwards. “And when he gets rolling, he can really carry a team — and I think we're all real heavy on his back right now. Awesome game.”

“Thank God for Julio,” starting pitcher George Kirby echoed after he threw six innings on Thursday. “He's incredible. I would've hated to have been the opposing pitcher this week.”

Seattle improved to a season-high 11 games above .500 with the win, improving to an impressive 66-55 approaching the last month of the season. Rodriguez contributes his recent torrid stretch to a mechanical adjustment that sees him with a wider stance and stronger base to start, per Kramer.

“It simplifies things,” he said about the adjustment. “Basically, your eyes are a little more clear. It feels like you did everything you could to put yourself in that position and just kind of trust it. Once you step to the plate, you're trusting that you're going to get the job done.”

Julio Rodriguez is doing just that as the Seattle Mariners continue putting together a compelling case for a postseason berth.