Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Julio Rodriguez came into his office after the star center fielder’s bizarre baserunning blunder in the 10th inning of the Mariners’ 2-1 loss to the Yankees late Wednesday.
“He came into my office and apologized for making a mistake there,” Wilson said Thursday morning. “I really respect him for that, and we had a good conversation.”
With no outs in the 10th inning, Rodriguez stood at third base representing the tying run.
“Honestly, I just saw a bat flying up to my face, and I just ran away from it,” Rodriguez said. “After that, I was just in a little bit of shock.”
Randy Arozarena struck out swinging through a slider from the Yankees’ Ian Hamilton, a former Washington State standout, and Arozarena lost the grip of his bat — the lumber hurtling up the third-base line, right at Rodriguez’s legs.
Rodriguez spun out of the way of the bat and then took several more steps into foul territory — farther away from third base.
Yankees catcher Austin Wells alertly threw to third baseman Jazz Chisholm, who applied the tag on Rodriguez for the second out of the inning.
Rodriguez spent seven seconds kneeling on the third-base bag, a stunned look on his face.
Rodriguez explained after the game that he thought it was a “dead” ball situation after Arozarena lost control of the bat.
Robles scratched
Victor Robles was a late scratch from Thursday’s lineup.
The Mariners outfielder and leadoff hitter was initially inserted back at the top of the lineup but was later removed about an hour before first pitch.
Robles was hit in the right hand in the first inning Tuesday on the first pitch thrown by Yankees starter Luis Gil.
It was the sixth time Robles had been hit in his previous nine games.
Robles has been one of the most productive hitters in the majors over the past month, leading MLB with a .444 average and 224 wRC+ (100 is average) since mid-August.
M’s nearing HBP record
It has, indeed, been a painful season for the Mariners.
Arozarena was hit by a pitch in the second inning Thursday — well, he was hit twice on the same pitch, actually. A 95-mph sinker from the Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt first hit Arozarena on the left forearm and then ricocheted and hit Arozarena’s right hand.
That was the 109th time a Mariners hitter has been hit this season, just three shy of MLB’s modern era record (since 1900) for the most hit-by-pitches in a season.
The 2022 New York Mets hold the HBP record with 112. Interestingly, the 2023 Mariners stand second with 111.