Julio Rodríguez’s night ended after one scary first-inning play, turning Seattle’s 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels into a nervous wait around its franchise center fielder.
Rodríguez was removed from Thursday night’s game in Seattle after a thrown ball hit him in the back of the helmet as he slid into second base. Manager Dan Wilson said Rodríguez is in concussion protocol and will be re-evaluated Friday.
The play started when Rodríguez ran from first to second on a grounder. Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel fielded the ball and tried to throw to second to begin a double play, but the throw struck Rodríguez as he slid into the bag.
The ball bounced into the outfield, and Rodríguez still got up and moved to third base. Wilson and a team athletic trainer checked on him there, and Rodríguez stayed in the game briefly, including a half-inning in the field.
Seattle pulled him in the top of the third for Victor Robles. The Mariners then had to make another change in the fifth after Robles, who had been hit by a pitch in the third, was replaced in center field by Weston Wilson.
The pressure is now on Seattle to see how Rodríguez responds before Friday’s re-evaluation. The 25-year-old three-time All-Star played a career-high 160 games last season and has appeared in 87 of the Mariners’ 88 games this year.
Seattle still finished off the 1-0 win, but the bigger question left the ballpark with Rodríguez and the concussion protocol.
