SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodríguez hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, thwarting Jacob deGrom’s return to the mound and helping the Seattle Mariners to a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

Seattle Mariners 5, Texas Rangers 4: Result

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023, DeGrom left the team after 3 2/3 innings with a 2-0 lead and the Rangers holding a 4-0 lead.

Rodríguez started Seattle’s comeback with a two-run double in the seventh inning, then hit his 15th home run of the season to deep left field in the next inning when David Robertson (3-4) had two outs.

“I think that’s every player’s dream,” Rodríguez said. “I think when you play in different leagues and sports, as a player you want to be in the batter’s box in those moments.”

JT Chargois (3-1) earned the win with three strikeouts in the eighth inning, and Andrés Muñoz earned his 21st save with a strikeout in the ninth inning.

DeGrom struck out four times and allowed four hits in his first game since April 2023, showing some of the speed and power that made him a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He occasionally reached 98 mph but left the field before ending the third with two runners on base when he reached his pitch count.

“The last thing I’m trying to figure out is my slider,” deGrom admitted. “You know, it’s not as consistent as it usually is.”

Texas built an early 2-0 lead by taking advantage of a costly error by Emerson Hancock early in the game. Hancock hit leadoff batter Marcus Simien, who advanced to third base on Josh Smith’s single. Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung hit two-out RBI singles for a 2-0 lead.

Wyatt Langford made it 3-0 with a solo home run against Hancock, his 11th of the season. Lowe added an RBI single in the seventh inning to make it 4-0.

DeGrom had a fairly easy outing until the fourth inning, when Josh Raley hit a double and moved to third base on Justin Turner’s single. Manager Bruce Bochy later got deGrom one out with his 61st pitch.

Reliever Walter Pennington ended the inning with a ground out. Seattle rallied in the seventh after reliever José Ureña singled off Victor Robles to start the inning. He allowed a double by Rodríguez to put runners in scoring position, and Cal Raleigh’s sacrifice fly and Randy Arozarena’s RBI single made it 4-2.

Rodríguez took the field early for batting practice and was focused all night, striking out 4 for 5, with three of his hits reaching an exit velocity of 100 mph.

“That home run was a blast,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “That was unbelievable, that was a big hit. … There aren’t many balls that hit the upper deck there. That was a real hit.”

.@JRODshow44 is the second player in @MLB History with over 75 home runs and over 75 stolen bases in the first three seasons of his career, along with Bobby Witt Jr.-KC, who also accomplished this from 2022 to 2024.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) 14 September 2024

Despite having his third consecutive starter on the pitch count on Saturday with the return of Max Scherzer, Bochy said he is not worried about the bullpen.

“We have a replacement tomorrow to help Max,” Bochy said. “And we knew we needed that kind of replacement.”

TRAINING ROOM

The Rangers have officially placed SS Corey Seager on the 60-day injured list. He will undergo season-ending sports hernia surgery.

Squad change

To make room for deGrom on the roster, the Rangers sent RHP Owen White to Triple-A Round Rock.

Next

Rangers RHP Scherzer (2-4, 3.89 ERA) was scheduled to make his first start since July after spending time on the injured list with shoulder and nerve pain in his right arm. RHP Logan Gilbert (7-11, 3.15) was scheduled to start for Seattle.

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