The Seattle Mariners standout hit his second home run in as many games, which was about the only bright spot for the M's in Game 3.
The Seattle Mariners, fresh off winning two consecutive road games against the Toronto Blue Jays, were bludgeoned by Toronto in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at T-Mobile Park.
The 13-4 loss was a reality check for the M's, who are trying to make their first World Series appearance ever. Toronto is now back in the series and seeking its first World Series appearance since 1993.
There wasn't much positive in this game for Seattle, but the one bright spot was superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning.
That actually gave the M's a 2-0 lead before things unraveled. It's his second consecutive game with a first inning home run.
Per @MarinersPR:
Julio Rodríguez hit a 3-run homer in Game 2 and hits a 2-run homer tonight in the 1st inning. @JRODshow44 is the first player to hit multi-run HR in the 1st inning of back-to-back ALCS games since Paul Konerko for the 2005 White Sox -- 20 years ago today.
Playoff Julio unlocked
Rodriguez is hitting .400 in this ALCS (4-for-10) with two homers, five RBIs and three walks. He's got a .538 on-base percentage.
He hit just .174 in the American League Division Series (4-for-23), but he did have a home run, a game-tying single, and a game-winning double in that series against the Detroit Tigers.
Julio's excellent year
Though Rodriguez started slow, he finished the year in an excellent position. He hit .267 with 32 home runs, 95 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He carried a 128 OPS+ and a .798 OPS. He was just named a finalist for the American League Gold Glove in center field and figures to get strong consideration for his third Silver Slugger Award.
He was also named an All-Star for the third time and paired with Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco to make the M's one of the most potent lineups in the league.
Game 4 loading
Seattle will take on future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer in Game 4. No longer the ace pitcher he was for most of his career, Scherzer hasn't thrown since Sept. 24. He went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA this season, but did strike out 82 batters in 85.0 innings.
He's given up four earned runs or more in four of his last five starts.
Game time is set for 5:33 p.m. PT. Luis Castillo pitches for Seattle.
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