The Seattle Mariners blew out the Houston Astros 8-1 on Wednesday. The Astros have already locked up the American League West and were playing without DH Yordan Alvarez, who was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. The Mariners on the other hand, are clinging to hopes of securing the final AL Wild Card berth. The decisive victory also included a bit of MLB history.

Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez became just the second player ever to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in each of his first three seasons, per B/R Walk-Off on X.

Rodriguez hit a 416 foot bomb to left center field in the ninth inning to make it an 8-1 game. It was the two-time All-Star’s 20th homer of the season. He had 24 stolen bases entering the game Wednesday.

The Mariners’ star announced his presence in the pros during his first season in 2022. He had 28 home runs and 25 steals that season, along with an OPS+ of 147, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, in 2023, Rodriguez was even better. He had 37 doubles, 32 homers, 37 steals, 103 RBI and 102 runs scored with an OPS+ of 130. He finished fourth in MVP voting last year.

Julio Rodriguez joined Bobby Witt Jr. as only players with three 20/20 seasons to start a career

Sep 20, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the fifth inning at Globe Life Field.
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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This season, despite missing three weeks of action with a high ankle sprain, Rodriguez has 17 doubles, 20 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 67 RBI and 73 runs scored. He’s posted an OPS+ of 117 and 4.1 bWAR in 140 games for the Mariners.

At one point, Seattle held a 10-game lead in the AL West. Despite boasting one of the best starting rotations in baseball and buying at the trade deadline – bringing in Randy Arozarena in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and landing veteran infielder Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays – the Mariners were unable to retain control of the division. The team even tried shaking things up by firing long-time manager Scott Servais, replacing him with former player Dan Wilson. Nonetheless, their seemingly insurmountable double digit lead evaporated and the Astros won the AL West.

Still, Seattle has a special player in Rodriguez. Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. is the only other player to start his career with three straight 20/20 seasons. Witt has actually gone 30/30 in his last two seasons. This year the All-Star shortstop has 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He also leads MLB in hits (208) and batting average (.335) and boasts a .989 OPS, an OPS+ of 173 and 9.4 bWAR in 157 games for the Royals.

Kansas City is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the second AL Wild Card spot. The Mariners are 2.5 games out of the final playoff berth.