Mariners Game Notes — Sept. 3 at Rays
AS YOU MAY KNOW…The Mariners have 4 players with 20+ HR this season: Cal Raleigh (51 HR), Julio Rodríguez (27 HR), Randy Arozarena (26 HR) and Jorge Polanco (23 HR), but…DID YOU KNOW?…that when Polanco reaches the 25 HR threshold, Seattle will match its franchise record for most players with 25+ HR in a season with 4?…the 2025 Mariners will join the 1996 (Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Alex Rodriguez) and 1997 (Buhner, Griffey Jr., Martinez and Paul Sorrento) squads.
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue the 9-game road trip with the last of 3 games against the Tampa Bay Rays (0–2)…Seattle is coming off a 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians (1–2) and will also play the Atlanta Braves (3 G, 9/5–9/7) on the trip…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink on the call with Brad Adam serving as field reporter…the game will be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped yesterday’s game to the Tampa Bay Rays by a 6–5 final…Seattle is 58–21 when they score at least 4 runs and 44–22 when their starter goes 6 innings.
- Power & Speed — The Mariners rank 3rd in MLB in HR (199) and 4th in SB (136), the only team in the Majors that ranks in the top 5 in both categories this season.
- Rosters Expanded Sept. 1 — MLB expanded its team rosters from 26 to 28 players (max. 14 pitchers) on Sept. 1, with Seattle selecting C Harry Ford and RHP Luke Jackson and recalling INF Leo Rivas…INF Donovan Solano was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot.
- Ballpark Bonanza — George M. Steinbrenner Field is the 3rd new ballpark for the Mariners this season, joining Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, CA and Bowman Field in Williamsport, PA.
- Robles Returns Saturday — Major League Baseball announced on Aug. 29 that outfielder Victor Robles had his suspension reduced from 10 games to 7 games starting Aug. 29…Robles is eligible to return to the Mariners active roster starting Saturday, Sept. 6 at Atlanta.
- Polo’s Power Surge — Jorge Polanco has hit 3 home runs over his last 5 games and is batting .349 (15x43) with 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, 10 RBI, getting on base at a .404 clip, slugging .767 for a 1.172 OPS over his last 13 games since Aug. 17.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, HARRY FORD…catcher Harry Ford, the Mariners #4 overall prospect and MLB’s #40 prospect by MLB Pipeline will make his Major League debut when he first appears in a game…in 97 games with Triple-A Tacoma this season, Ford is batting .283 (106x374) with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 74 walks and 7 stolen bases, reaching base at a .408 clip and slugging .460 for an .868 OPS…Ford was the Mariners 1st round (12th overall) draft pick in 2021.
Get Mariners PR’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
POSTSEASON PICTURE…the Mariners are currently in Postseason position with 23 regular season games remaining, holding the third and final AL Wild Card spot and standing 1.5 games ahead of next-closest Texas…Seattle also sits 3.0 games behind Houston for the AL West Division lead.
J-ROD’S SECOND HALF SURGE…Julio Rodríguez has tallied 46 multi-hit games this season, 3rd-most such contests in the Majors this season trailing Trea Turner-PHI (47 G) and Bo Bichette-TOR (51 G)…Since July 11, Julio is tied with Michael Harris II-ATL for the MLB lead with 21 multi-hit games…Julio is also batting .305 (57x187) with 34 runs, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 16 home runs, 35 RBI and 9 stolen bases, getting on base at a .347 clip and slugging .620 for a .967 OPS over his last 46 games since July 11.
RANDY AND JULIO: POWER & SPEED…Randy Arozarena (26 HR, 25 SB) and Julio Rodríguez (27 HR, 24 SB) are closing in on becoming the first pair of Mariners teammates with 25+ HR and 25+ SB in the same season…if both players reach the 30 HR, 30 SB mark, they will be the 3rd pair of teammates with 30/30 seasons in the same season, joining the 1987 Mets (Howard Johnson, Darryl Strawberry) and 1996 Rockies (Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks).
- When Rodríguez records his next stolen base he will join Darryl Strawberry and Bobby Bonds as the only 3 players to record three 25+ HR and 25+ SB seasons within their first 4 MLB seasons…if Julio reaches the 30/30 mark, he will join Bobby Witt Jr.-KC (2023–24) as the only players with multiple 30/30 seasons in the first 4 seasons of a player’s career…Julio has already become the 3rd player (since joined by Witt Jr.) to record 100+ HR and SB in his first 4 career seasons, joining Strawberry and Bonds.
- On Monday, Arozarena became the third Cuban-born player with a 25/25 season, joining José Canseco (3x, 1988, ’91, ’98) and Adolis García (2022) and just the 4th player in Mariners history with at 25/25 season joining Julio Rodríguez (2022–23), Mike Cameron (2001–02) and Alex Rodriguez (1998).
CAL: AL MVP CANDIDATE…in 136 games played this season, Cal Raleigh is batting .242 (123x508) with 89 runs, 19 doubles, 51 home runs, 108 RBI, 81 walks and 14 stolen bases, getting on base at a .352 clip, slugging .581 with a .933 OPS…in the American League, he ranks 1st in home runs, 1st in RBI, 2nd in slugging, 3rd in OPS, T-2nd in runs scored, 2nd in extra-base hits (70) and 2nd in total bases (295)…Raleigh also ranks 2nd in fWAR (7.3) behind only Aaron Judge-NYY (7.9)…on Aug. 24, Cal became the first catcher in MLB history with 50+ homers in a season and is the second player in Mariners history to join the 50+ home run club, joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (56 HR, 2x, 1997–98).
WHAT’S NEXT FOR CAL?…with Cal Raleigh’s next home run *as a catcher*, he will tie Javy López (42 HR in 2003) for the most in a single season while catching…he recently joined Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters with 50+ home runs in a season in MLB history…Mantle holds the record of 54 home runs for the 1961 Yankees.
ANDRÉS THE GIANT…closer Andrés Muñoz has a career-high 32 saves, going 3–2 with a 1.69 ERA (10 ER, 53.1 IP) that ranks 2nd among qualified MLB relievers and 68 strikeouts, 24 walks and a 1.05 WHIP, holding opponents to a .171 batting average…Muñoz’s 71 saves as a Mariner are 5th most in franchise history behind Kazuhiro Sasaki (129 SV) and Muñoz’s 72 career saves are the 4th-most saves by a Mexican-born reliever in MLB history trailing Joakim Soria (229 SV).
VENEZUELAN TRIO…Seattle has a trio of Venezuelan natives on the active roster…Eugenio Suárez is batting .265 (18x68) with 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 2 stolen bases and a .901 OPS over his last 19 games (8/13-c)…RHP Eduard Bazardo is 5–0 with a 2.69 ERA (20 ER, 67.0 IP), 26 walks and 67 strikeouts in 62 games this season…INF Leo Rivas hit his first MLB home run in Monday’s game and is batting .295 (18x61) with 4 stolen bases, a .419 OBP and a .780 OPS in 31 MLB games this season.
UPCOMING HOMESTAND…the Mariners return home on Sept. 8 for their penultimate regular season homestand, hosting the St. Louis Cardinals (3 G, 9/8–10) and the Los Angeles Angels (4 G, 9/11–14)…promotions and events on the homestand include Logan Gilbert POP! Collectible 3-day Giveaway from Sept. 8–10, Mariners Value Game on Sept. 11 (tickets start at $11), Hispanic Heritage Night on Sept. 12, Fan Appreciation Night on Sept. 13 and Kids Run the Bases on Sept. 14…more information can be found at Mariners.com/Tickets.
