Mariners’ Tellez homers off pitcher he was traded for… again
May 10, 2025, 11:00 PM | Updated: May 11, 2025, 6:00 pm
There’s just something about the Toronto Blue Jays that brings out the best in Seattle Mariners slugger Rowdy Tellez.
Rost: 3 reasons why critics should buy into Mariners
Tellez went deep against his former team yet again, hitting a solo shot over the left-center-field fence to give Seattle a 1-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the second inning of Saturday night’s game at T-Mobile Park.
It was Tellez’s sixth homer of the season – including his fourth in 12 at-bats against the Blue Jays this year. He homered in all three games of the Mariners’ series in Toronto last month, including a 12th-inning grand slam in an 8-4 win on April 19.
Tellez’s second-inning blast on Saturday was also his second of the season off Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis.
That’s notable because Tellez and Francis were on opposite sides of a July 2021 trade. In that deal, Toronto sent Tellez to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Francis and right-hander Trevor Richards. Up until that point, Tellez had spent his entire career in the Blue Jays’ organization since Toronto drafted him in 2013.
Tellez, a 30-year-old left-handed-hitting first baseman, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in February and earned an opening-day roster spot after a strong spring. He’s struggled for most of the season, hitting just .210. But against the Blue Jays, he continues to do serious damage.
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Highly touted Seattle Mariners prospect on fire in return from torn ACL
• M’s reliever Vargas always had ‘eye-opening’ stuff – now it’s showing
• Seattle Mariners GM gives updates on rash of injured players
• What is Jorge Polanco’s role now with the Seattle Mariners?
• Early Seattle Mariners Trade Targets: 4 bats at corner infield spots
