Watch: Julio Rodríguez makes great catch, throws out MLB speedster

Apr 16, 2024, 10:02 PM | Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 4:02 pm

Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners during a 2024 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodríguez showed why he was a Gold Glove finalist last season during the seventh inning of the team’s 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

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Rodríguez saved multiple runs with a pair of defensive gems in the inning. He first ran down a ball deep in the right-center cap and made a leaping catch in on the warning track to rob Spencer Steer of extra bases the second out of the inning.

Julio Rodríguez runs this one down 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/RRtgrwUmFE

— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2024

Then, after a pair of walks put runners on first and second, Rodríguez threw out one of MLB’s fastest runners trying to go from first to third on a single. The 23-year-outfielder fired a seed to third and Josh Rojas proceeded with a nifty tag diving to his right to nab Elly De La Cruz for the final out before former Mariner Jake Fraley could score from second on the play. The Reds shortstop ranks in the 99th percentile and fith overall in MLB with a sprint speed of 29.8 feet per second, according to Baseball Savant.

What a throw! What a tag! pic.twitter.com/VvyDLhe1St

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 17, 2024

De La Cruz hit an inside-the-park home run on April8 during the bottom of the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, which you can see in the video below. De La Cruz needed just 14.96 seconds to go run the bases for the inside-the-park homer.