Julio Rodríguez was forced to leave in the third inning after a 78.2 mph throw struck the back of his helmet during a double-play attempt against the Angels. Two innings later, Victor Robles was removed after a 97.9 mph pitch hit his right wrist/forearm area,
Seattle — The night started with a sharp jolt for Julio Rodríguez, and it didn’t stop. In the third inning against the Angels, the Mariners’ star center fielder was forced out after taking a 78.2 mph throw off the back of his helmet on a double play attempt.
Two innings later, the concern spread again. Victor Robles. Rodríguez’s replacement. was removed after a 97.9 mph fastball struck the right wrist/forearm area a half-inning later. Both incidents sent the players out shortly after they were first able to stay on the field. The Mariners did not have an immediate update on either player.
As the lineup trickled down, the changes came fast. Luke Raley moved from right field to center, and Weston Wilson came off the bench to take Raley’s post.
Rodríguez’s incident began in the bottom of the first inning. He went first-to-third on a Dominic Canzone grounder to Angels first baseman Nolan Schnauel. who tried to ignite a 3-6-1 double play. But Schnauel’s throw hit Rodríguez directly off the back of his helmet. Rodríguez was able to race into third.
He stood on the bag clapping his hands together emphatically, fired up—until he quickly fell into a crouch. That’s when manager Dan Wilson and head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson came out for an extended visit.
Rodríguez stayed in for the rest of the bottom of the first and then played center field for the top of the second. But soon after, he was seen conferring again with Torgerson in the home dugout, before receding into the home clubhouse at T-Mobile Park for good.
That exit led to Robles taking over. He was hit by Angels starter Walbert Ureña in his first plate appearance a half-inning later.
Robles was examined by assistant athletic trainer Taylor Bennett but remained in the game, also for another half-inning in the field, before being removed.
For the Angels, it was not the first time the early innings brought contact. Ureña’s HBP of Robles was his second HBP in the early stages of the game. Earlier, Randy Arozarena took a 98.3 mph heater off his left elbow in the first inning, an incident that also required an evaluation from Torgerson.
By the time the lineup shuffle settled, the Mariners had already lost two players to head-and-wrist/forearm injuries in the span of the night—while the unanswered question lingered: what will the medical evaluations reveal, and how serious are both situations?
Julio Rodríguez Victor Robles Seattle Mariners Los Angeles Angels head injury HBP Dan Wilson Kyle Torgerson Taylor Bennett Walbert Ureña Nolan Schnauel T-Mobile Park