Last Friday, the Mariners almost won. With the M’s down 4-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning and in the midst of a four-game losing streak, Julio Rodríguez reached base on an infield single. Julio’s hit set the stage for Jarred Kelenic, whose recent struggles at the plate had sparked speculation that he might be near a demotion to triple-A.
Two pitches later, Jarred had deposited a dinger over the center field fence, giving the Mariners the lead, exorcising his own demons, and setting the stage for a storybook ending.
Of course, we all know what happened next.