Mariners, DR Star Julio Rodriguez: I'd Rather Win WBC Than World Series

Would you rather win the World Baseball Classic or the World Series? For Seattle Mariners and Dominican Republic star Julio Rodriguez, it's a simple answer.

"Being honest, I love the Mariners. They know I give my best for them every single time that I step on the field, but winning the World Baseball Classic would be top of the list," Rodriguez said in an interview on "Foul Territory" when asked whether he'd prefer to win the World Baseball Classic or the World Series.

"This is for my country; this is for my town; this is for my people, my neighborhood, everybody in the Dominican Republic, so I would say winning the World Baseball Classic would be No. 1."

Rodriguez, an All-Star in three of his first four seasons with the Mariners, is currently playing for the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Across 11 at-bats, Rodriguez has totaled one home run and three RBIs, while posting a .273/.385/.545 slash line.

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Rodriguez and the Dominican Republic finished first in Pool D at 4-0 and will now face off against the Republic of Korea in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Friday afternoon (6:30 p.m. ET on FS2 and the FOX Sports app).

As for his MLB team, Rodriguez and the Mariners are coming off both their first AL West division title and AL Championship Series appearance since 2001. Granted, Seattle blew a 2-0 series lead and then a 3-2 lead to the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the regular season, Rodriguez, a two-time Silver Slugger, totaled 32 home runs, 95 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and a career-high 6.8 wins above replacement, while posting a .267/.324/.474 slash line. He posted nine defensive runs saved in center field. Then, in the postseason, Rodriguez hit four home runs.