Watch: Mariners stay hot as Teoscar Hernández hits grand slam

Aug 26, 2023, 2:43 PM | Updated: 7:10 pm

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 26: Teoscar Hernandez #35 of the Seattle Mariners hits a grand slam home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on August 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 26: Teoscar Hernandez #35 of the Seattle Mariners tosses his bat after hitting a grand slam home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on August 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 26: Teoscar Hernandez #35 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting a grand slam home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on August 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 26: Teoscar Hernandez #35 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with J.P. Crawford #3 after hitting a grand slam home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on August 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 26: Teoscar Hernandez #35 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on August 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

BY BRENT STECKER

Editor of SeattleSports.com

The Seattle Mariners seem to be on a mission.

They want the franchise’s first American League West crown in 22 years, and they’re playing like they deserve it.

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The latest example came Saturday afternoon when slugger Teoscar Hernández blasted his first grand slam with the team, pushing their early lead against the Kansas City Royals to 5-0 in their eventual 15-2 blowout victory.

Watch the blast here:

The @Mariners are inevitable. 😮

Teoscar Hernández slams this game open! pic.twitter.com/zSZZFXhFQQ

— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2023

And here’s a more mobile-friendly version of the video:

IT'S GRAND SALAMI TIME. pic.twitter.com/bAP8D94TSB

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2023

Hernández’s line-drive shot got out of T-Mobile Park in a hurry. It was plastered at an exit velocity of 105.1 mph with a launch angle of 22 degrees, traveling 384 feet into the visiting bullpen. It was his 20th homer of the season and the second of three by the Mariners in the third inning alone Saturday against the Royals. Josh Rojas smashed his third homer since joining the team at the trade deadline to get Seattle on the board, and Mike Ford added a two-run shot later in the frame.

The Mariners’ offense was far from done, too. They tacked on four more runs in the next two innings, including two on a Julio Rodríguez bomb, to take an 11-1 lead, and when all was said and done, they had tied the franchise record with seven homers on the day.

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While Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh have been getting a lot of the attention during the Mariners’ recent hot streak, Hernández has been plenty hot himself. After going 2 for 6 on Saturday, his stats for the last 15 games look like this: a .371/.403/.661 slash line, 1.064 OPS, four homers and 15 RBIs.

As for the Mariners, they are now 73-56, having gone 23-6 since they sat at 50-50 on the season. With the AL West-leading Texas Rangers and defending World Series champion Houston Astros both struggling at the same time, Seattle has moved into a tie for first in the division with Texas. The Rangers beat the Twins 6-2 on Saturday to snap an eight-game losing streak and stay even with Seattle.

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Follow @BrentStecker