Game 7 is where legends are made of and Julio Rodriguez is not someone who typically lets moments to cement himself in history go to waste. On Monday night, with a World Series trip on the line for the Seattle Mariners, Rodriguez had himself yet another October moment to remember, as he drilled a hanging slider to left-center field to put them ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, in the top of the third inning.
Rodriguez already did his damage in the first inning, as a leadoff double set up a run-scoring opportunity for the Mariners — with Josh Naylor driving home the three-time All-Star for the first run of the game. As much as 2025 has been a struggle for Rodriguez to the point where he declined to participate in the All-Star Game despite being included, his star is shining once more, even putting him in some exclusive company.
According to Mariners PR on X (formerly Twitter), Rodriguez became just the third player age 24-or-younger to hit a home run in a Game 7, joining Mickey Mantle (who did so during the 1952 World Series, which Mantle's New York Yankees won) and Cody Bellinger (who hit a homer during Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, a game which his Los Angeles Dodgers went on to win as well).
The precedent for this is promising for the Mariners because, as noted above, the teams of those who accomplished this feat went on to win those contests. Alas, at the moment, Seattle is no longer in the driver's seat, as they now find themselves down 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh after George Springer hit a monster three-run shot.
Julio Rodriguez holds the trident for the Mariners in Game 7
Rodriguez has been a star for the Mariners since day one, although it seems as though the heavy workload in centerfield is contributing to a decline in overall production from the wonderkid. Nevertheless, the talent has and always will be there for Rodriguez, and it is fitting that he is someone who holds the trident for Seattle in the biggest game in franchise history to this point.
The Mariners centerfielder has had his moments this postseason, and he's now hitting for an OPS of .826 in the 2025 playoffs. However, with the Blue Jays having taken the lead, Seattle will need him to come up huge one more time. With one swing of the bat, they can at least tie the game and, at worst, send the game to extras.
