By Charles Hamaker 

Peoria, AZ – As the Seattle Mariners begin their last week of Spring Training competition ahead of Opening Day, their group has returned to full strength following the conclusion of the World Baseball Classic. In the last stages of Spring Training, the ballclub has mostly figured out their 40-man roster and starting positional players, and that was on display as Seattle put out a largely first-choice lineup to battle the Dodgers. Two players in different situations but playing the same position, Julio Rodriguez and Leonys Martin, drove in all the Mariner runs in this battle.   

Julio brings the boom 

Superstar centerfielder Julio Rodriguez returned to the Mariners Spring Training complex disappointed that he and his native Dominican Republic weren’t able to go further in the World Baseball Classic, but he hasn’t shown it lately. The 22-year-old phenom, that is on the cover of the latest edition of Sports Illustrated, has a beaming smile on his face since returning to Peoria and it showed today in his activities during the game and when he was actively involved. That sort of attitude is part of the reason Mariner fans, let alone baseball fans overall, have come to adore Julio. The other reason, of course, is his incredible talent and skill at the game of baseball.  

Rodriguez started the game's scoring when he lined a screaming ball into right field that curved over the head of Dodgers right fielder James Outman, falling over backwards in an attempt to catch the ball. Julio drove in JP Crawford, who had walked in the plate appearance before, and then attempted to stretch out the double into a triple but was thrown out. He later hit another double, this time staying at second after dropping a rolling ball into left field to drive in AJ Pollock and Cooper Hummel to extend the Seattle lead to three.   

Kirby K’s the Dodgers 

Young Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby is looking to build off an incredible 2022 season that saw him begin the year in the month of May and end the season dealing seven shutout innings against the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros in the third game of the ALDS. With incredible ability at such a young age, Kirby is another example of the organization’s pitching prowess up and down their system, and he’s just getting started. Even though he’s entering his first full season of his MLB career, Kirby already has shown flashes that he could be the top dog in a rotation, and that could happen sooner rather than later.  

Kirby showed that he was ready for the regular season to begin in tonight’s outing, working an efficient and clean five innings that only saw him surrender one base runner. That base runner was one walk, which compared to nine strikeouts on the day for the Elon university alumni. Kirby looked excellent in the outing that he had, displaying his great arsenal of pitches (including a nasty breaking ball) and appears ready for the regular season to get fully underway.  

Martin makes an impact as roster is close to being finalized 

Outfielder Leonys Martin, now in his second stint with the organization, was a fun story to keep track of when we found out that he’d be part of the Spring Training group. While his numbers haven’t necessarily been spectacular, the Cuban American outfielder came up with a key play in tonight’s game to extend the Mariners lead when he singled into right field to score AJ Pollock and Mason McCoy, pushing the score to a five to one lead. If the story for Martin this Spring Training doesn’t end with him signing somewhere within the organization, it was certainly fun to kick the tires on him and see what he has left.  

Quick notes 

• George Kirby tossed 5.0 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Kirby has only allowed 3 walks and 15 strikeouts in all four of his starts this spring. 

• Tonight’s attendance was 8,860 

• Tonight’s game took only 2:23 of game time

Seattle shortstop JP Crawford’s night through photos (Photos by Liv Lyons)

What’s next? 

Tomorrow, the Seattle Mariners will head over to their second to last road game of the Spring. The Mariners will head to Goodyear ballpark in Scottsdale to battle the Cincinnati Reds. Seattle conducted a blockbuster trade with the Reds during last year's Spring Training when they acquired third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Jesse Winker, the latter infamously underperforming for the Mariners before being traded to Milwaukee. Seattle will have Chris Flexen start on the mound, while former Mariners prospect Brandon Williamson gets the ball for Cincinnati.  

Check out the journal of the day from Circling Seattle Sports here

https://www.whereweconverge.com/post/category/Circling+Seattle+Sports