Mariners send letter to MLB protesting umps' treatment of rookie Rodriguez

The Seattle Mariners are fed up with umpires' treatment of prized rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Thursday that the team sent a letter to Major League Baseball to formally complain about the unusually large strike zone Rodriguez has dealt with to start his big-league career, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

"What's going on right now with Julio Rodriguez is not right," Servais said following Thursday's game, per Kramer.

Frustration for the Mariners and Rodriguez boiled over Thursday when home-plate umpire Shane Livensparger rung up the rookie on a pitch that appeared high. Servais, who said the team sent the letter before Thursday's contest, was ejected while arguing about the final pitch and another high strike in the same at-bat.

"I thought it was a ball," Rodriguez said, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. "I said, 'It was a bad pitch. It was a terrible pitch.' When I saw Scott coming in, I knew he saw it. I didn't even know what else to say."

Rodriguez has struck out 28 times this season, with 17 of those coming from a called third strike, by far the most in the majors, according to Kramer.

Servais praised the 21-year-old for keeping his cool at the plate throughout a challenging situation to start his career.

"I sat at home for a week and watched it while I had COVID. It's frustrating," the skipper said, according to Divish. "I give all the credit in the world to Julio. Not many people could handle things the way he has. He's not barked back. He's not changed his approach. He's not chasing balls out of the strike zone, but it's wrong. He's (a) 21-year-old. Let the kid play."

Rodriguez, Seattle's top prospect, made the Opening Day roster out of spring training. He's hitting just .194/.270/.254 through his first 18 big-league games but has scored eight runs and stolen a league-leading eight bases.