Seattle Mariners: The Curse of Julio Rodriguez

Chris Phillips   |  

May 19, 2022

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The Seattle Mariners are not only battling their opponents but also a curse, one that no one is talking about publicly. It’s possible nobody else is aware of this curse.

Trying to win a major league baseball game is challenging. The Seattle Mariners are off to a less than ideal start. They’ve had some flukey or unlucky things happen that went against them. Maybe the most surprising thing that has gone against Seattle is Julio Rodriguez.

This year the Seattle Mariners top prospect made the ball club after a great showing at spring training. JRod got off to a rocky start, aided by an ever-changing and completely laughable strike zone. Then eventually, the young slugger found his way and performed like many thought. Finally, on May 1, JRod hit his first major league home run in Miami. The homer was even featured in #ForgetThisPitch.

Pre-Curse

Unfortunately, that is when things went off the rails for the Seattle Mariners. Coming into that game, the Mariners had a winning record, 11-9, and were in second place in the AL West. They were a full game up on Houston and only 2.5 games behind LA Angels for first. Additionally, Seattle and Tampa Bay were tied for the fifth-best record in the American League.

The upstart Mariners sported a positive run differential of 20, a .599 Pythagorean win-loss percentage, and was the league leader in Fun Differential by a country mile (plus the length of two football fields). Times were good for the M’s and their fans.

Then Julio had to go and ruin everyone’s good time. The first of May might be a date that will live in infamy. Sure, Rodriguez hit his first home run. Helping the Seattle Mariners win the game but, unfortunately, cursed the team.

Since that fateful event, the Mariners immediately endured a six-game losing streak and have gone 6-11 overall. They currently find themselves in fourth place in the AL West, one game behind Texas and two games ahead of Oakland.

Post Curse

The Seattle Mariners’ run differential is now -11, and their glorious lead in fun differential has evaporated. They also sit 10th in the AL, just 3 games back of the second Wild-Card spot. Their downfall happened all because Rodriguez hit his first home run. If he was trying to right his wrong or undo this curse by homering for a second time, the results are minimal.

The Seattle Mariners are only 2-2 since with a -2 run differential. They were also shut out once after his second long ball. While everyone is excited about his success, it’s coming at the cost of the team. Wake up, M’s fans! Julio Rodriguez is a curse, and the playoff drought will continue as long as he’s on the roster.

This article is meant in fun. I don’t actually believe the Seattle Mariners are cursed. Nor that Julio Rodriguez’s success is the reason for the team’s struggles. Just an odd coincidence.