J-Rod's swim attempt into 3rd becomes mock 'crime scene'

You didn't know baseball involved swimming, did you?

Julio Rodríguez demonstrated that Friday night at T-Mobile Park. In the first inning, the Mariners' star rookie launched a drive off the center-field wall and was thinking triple as soon as it caromed back onto the warning track.

The only problem was the whole sliding into third thing.

Rodríguez got about four-fifths of the way between second and third before stumbling and then trying to "swim" his way to the bag. It was a tremendous effort -- perhaps one that would make Michael Phelps proud. But it wasn't enough to elude the tag of Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, who received the throw and recorded the out.

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On Saturday, some of Rodríguez's teammates had fun with the rookie center fielder before the game, drawing what resembled a chalk outline of Rodríguez's body in the spot where he stumbled. The outline was a pretty decent likeness of Rodríguez given that the arms were flailing as if he was competing in a swim meet.

Rodríguez didn't seem to mind, though -- in fact, he was a good sport about it all, wearing a pair of water wings on his arms as his teammates presented their artwork, complete with surrounding cones and yellow "caution" tape.

J-Rod has already had some great highlights in a season that could culminate in a Rookie of the Year Award, but while most of them involve belting home runs, stealing bases and making nice defensive plays in center field, his impromptu swimming expedition will surely be remembered, too.