Mariners: Julio Rodriguez in 2023 Home Run Derby may be predestined

When Major League Baseball announced the date for the 2023 All-Star Game to be held in Seattle, it didn’t take long for fans to figure out that the date of the Home Run Derby and Julio Rodriguez once again representing the Mariners in it might be a coincidence that is just too good to pass up.

Even the date of the Home Run Derby seems to favor Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners being a part of the annual event

The 2023 MLB All-Star Game will held at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 11, 2023. It’s the third time that the Emerald City has hosted the Midsummer Classic, following a 1979 game at the Kingdome and a 2011 game at what was then known as Safeco Field. The American League has won both All-Star Games played in Seattle.

With the game on Tuesday the 11th, that means that, following the pattern set in previous years, the Home Run Derby will be held on Monday the 10th.

That’s Monday, July 10, to be more precise. Notice anything about that date? One Mariners fan already has.

Yep, JUL10 sure looks like Julio, as in Rodriguez, as in the Seattle Mariners rookie phenom who made his first-ever Home Run Derby appearance earlier this year one that won’t soon be forgotten on his way to a runner-up finish.

Rodriguez making a return to the Home Run Derby seems like a no-brainer, especially after the show he put on last season and coming so close to winning it all. Plus, with the event in his own park, he’s the perfect representative for the hometown fans to get behind.

While Julio Rodriguez representing the Seattle Mariners in the 2023 Home Run Derby may be the closest thing to a sure bet, having the date be JUL10 makes it seem like his participation was already written in the stars.