Julio Rodriguez made baseball history with a home run and a stolen base and Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco also went deep to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.
Rodriguez became the first player in major league history to garner 15 homers and 20 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons.
Rodriguez swiped third base on the front end of a double steal in the first inning, then belted a solo home run in the fifth as the Mariners took the opener of a four-game series.
Seattle starter Logan Evans (4-3) allowed one run on three hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out three. Andres Munoz pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to pick up his 23rd save.
Mike Trout went 1-for-2 with a double, three walks and a run while Nolan Schanuel had two hits and an RBI for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight game.
Yusei Kikuchi (4-7), who had allowed a total of just one earned run in four previous career starts against the Mariners, gave up three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Trout doubled down the left field line and scored on a single by Schanuel.
Kikuchi was working on a shutout with two outs in the fifth inning before allowing three runs on four consecutive hits. Rodriguez started the rally with an opposite-field homer down the right field line to tie it 1-1. Cal Raleigh followed with an infield single and scored on Arozarena’s 19th home run to give Seattle a 3-1 lead.
Los Angeles cut the deficit to 3-2 in the seventh against reliever Carlos Vargas. Luis Rengifo singled with two outs and advanced to second on a balk when Vargas stopped his delivery after stumbling on the mound. Zach Neto then singled to drive in Rengifo.
Polanco then put the Mariners back ahead by two runs in the eighth when he led off with his 16th home run against reliever Jose Fermin, a 389-foot drive to right.
The Angels loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the ninth, but Munoz got Schanuel to line out to left to end the game.
–Field Level Media
