Mariners Star Julio Rodriguez Vows First Ejection Will Be His Last

Tuesday night’s Seattle Mariners blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles drew to an awkward close, when star Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez was ejected in the top of the eighth for drawing a line in the batter’s box on a called third strike that he disagreed with.

For Rodriguez, the ejection was the first of his young career, and one that he sincerely hopes will be his last.

The motive behind Rodriguez’s brief moment of rebellion is clear to any fan that has paid attention the Mariners this year: Julio had been rung up over and over again on pitches clearly off the plate over the first few weeks of the season, a phenomenon that had some funs truly wondering if MLB had an agenda against the young outfielder.

Oddly enough, the pitch that umpire Lance Barrett called Rodriguez out on last night was indeed a strike, a fastball from Orioles reliever Marcos Diplan that sliced the inside corner of the plate in half. Julio clearly thought the pitch was inside, but with an 8-0 lead late in the game, Rodriguez himself would likely admit that drawing a line in the dirt was simply an unnecessary move in that circumstance.

Seeing a player of the caliber of Julio Rodriguez take responsibility for his actions and vow to make better decisions moving forward is unique in today’s day and age of superstardom, and whether it happens again in his career or not, Mariners fans can feel confident that their young star is highly cognizant of how he represents himself, his team, and his city.