The Seattle Mariners standout hit a first inning home run on Monday night in the M's 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
On Monday night, most of the buzz from the Seattle Mariners 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox was about top prospect Colt Emerson and his first major league home run.
However, don't forget about the first inning home run from former top prospect (and multi-time MVP candidate) Julio Rodriguez.
The home run that Rodriguez hit off lefty Noah Schultz was the 120th of his career, which is now in its fifth season. It also put him in an illustrious group in baseball history, as noted by Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Fewest career games to 120+ HR & 120+ SB:
Ronald Acuña Jr.: 538
Eric Davis: 559
Alfonso Soriano: 608
Darryl Strawberry: 618
Julio Rodriguez: 639
Fernando Tatis Jr.: 656
About Rodriguez
Still just 25 years old, Rodriguez made his major league debut in 2022 and has put up incredible numbers over four-plus seasons.
A three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and a Rookie of the Year winner, Rodriguez is a career .273 hitter with the 120 homers and 121 stolen bases. He's posted an OPS+ of 115 or greater in each of his four seasons and is well on his way to another excellent season this year.
Entering play on Tuesday, he's hitting .251 with eight homers, 21 RBIs and five steals. He has six home runs in the month of May, and he still has more than 10 days to add on to it.
He's finished in the Top 10 of MVP voting in three of his four seasons and finished sixth in 2025 as the Mariners advanced to the American League Championship Series.
Up next for the Mariners
Rodriguez will have another chance to add onto his historic resume on Tuesday as the M's host the White Sox again at 6:40 p.m. PT. Right-hander Bryce Miller will make his second start of the season while Luis Castillo will operate in relief as part of a piggyback situation.
Left-hander Anthony Kay will pitch for the White Sox, marking the second straight left-hander to pitch against the M's.
Seattle is 23-26 and one game back of the Athletics in the American League West.
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesAs for Emerson
His first major league home run was the best moment of Monday's win and our own Teren Kowatsch covered what he had to say after the contest. Ranked as the No. 6 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Emerson figures to play third base for the majority of the season. Brendan Donovan, who started the season as the third baseman, is on the injured list for the second time.
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