CLEVELAND — Julio Rodriguez, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners upset Cleveland’s home opener Friday with a 5-3 win over the Guardians.
The Dominican hit his home run in the sixth inning and the Mariners turned around following trailing 3-0 in their first game on the road. Rodriguez, 22, hit 28 homers last season to help Seattle end a 20-year postseason drought.
JP Crawford had a pair of RBI doubles off starter Aaron Civale (1-1) for Seattle, which lost three of four to Cleveland at home last week.
Josh Bell drove in a run for the Guardians, who started the season 5-2 once morest Seattle and Oakland. But the defending AL Central champions mightn’t hold their own under the 34,821 crowd that packed Progressive Field.
Trailing 3-0, the Mariners scored twice in the fifth before adding three in the sixth once morest Civale, who held seven scoreless innings in Seattle last week.
For the Mariners, the Dominicans Rodríguez 5-2, with one run scored and two RBIs; Teoscar Hernandez 5-1. The Venezuelan Eugenio Suárez of 4-1.
For the Guardians, Dominicans Amed Rosario 3-1 with two runs scored, José Ramírez 3-1, Óscar González 4-0.
