ARLINGTON, Texas — If you listened hard enough in the stunned silence of Globe Life Field, when the earsplitting music had subsided and most of the 26,494 fans watched as a 21-year-old phenomenon they will have to endure for years to come rounded the bases, that raspy, unforgettable baritone voice of days gone by could be heard.
It could be heard in the homes of Mariners fans around the Pacific Northwest and in places far away where believers in “Sodo Mojo,” “Refuse To Lose,” “Two outs? So what” and a little of that old-time religion reside.
When Julio Rodriguez unloaded on a 3-2 fastball from Jose Leclerc in eighth inning, sending a towering flyball over the wall in center field for the Mariners’ first grand slam of the season, to turn a one-run nail-biter into what would be an easy 8-3 victory — their 12th in a row — Mariners fans of all ages and intensity, knew that somewhere Dave Niehaus was screaming in exultant jubilee, “Get out the rye bread and mustard, grandma, because it’s grand salami time!”
They could hear it. They could feel it. They missed it. The voice a reminder of better times. The man would’ve ridden the emotional highs, lows and unexpected heights of this season as only he could.
And Rodriguez?
Well, Niehaus was there for the rookie season of the Mariners’ first superstar, Ken Griffey Jr., and he would’ve reveled in the similarities in the rookie season of the Mariners’ budding superstar.
The circumstances surrounding the Mariners’ winning streak weren’t dire. For much of Friday night, victory seemed like an afterthought as Seattle starter Robbie Ray carved up hitters with lively variations of both of his fastballs and a nasty streak.
His teammates, including Rodriguez, provided requisite run support with a 4-0 lead going into the sixth inning. But then Ray made a mistake to Corey Seager for a solo homer in the sixth inning and gave up a two-run homer in the seventh inning to Leody Taveras.
A night after rallying from a four-run deficit for the biggest come-from-behind win of the season, would the Mariners give away a four-run lead and finally lose the first game in weeks despite such dominance? Baseball can be cruel like that.
But the Mariners loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning. Rangers manager Chris Woodward brought in Leclerc, the Rangers one-time closer, to get them out of trouble. Leclerc struck out Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty.
Rodriguez stepped to the plate. He wouldn’t give in to Leclerc’s sliders and change-ups working the count to full and got a change-up.
It was his 16th homer of the season.
