Ed Sheeran Can Hit? J-Rod Was Stunned

Before headlining Lumen Field on his Loop Tour stop in Seattle, Ed Sheeran did something few touring musicians bother with. He walked across the street to T-Mobile Park for a quick look at the field, and ended up in the batting cages with Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

Most of the team had already cleared out after a matinee win over the Twins. Rodríguez was still hanging around the clubhouse, talking through his upcoming DJ set for the team's Alumni Home Run Derby night, when Sheeran showed up.

Turns Out the Guy Can Hit

Sheeran stepped into the cage and started swinging — first against a pitching machine, then at soft tosses from Rodríguez himself. He connected with every single pitch. Rodríguez, watching from just outside the cage, couldn't hide his reaction: "I'm surprised, though — I'm surprised."

The crack of the bat drew attention from everyone nearby. Some of Sheeran's contact would've been outs in a real game, sure, but the swing itself looked legitimate enough that fans online started joking about his "cricket swing" and wondering just how fast those pitches were coming in.

A Trade Fit for Two Kinds of Stars

The exchange afterward felt like something out of a buddy movie. Rodríguez signed a bat and handed it over to Sheeran. In return, Sheeran gave him suite tickets to that night's show and promised to send a custom guitar his way — a fair trade between a Grammy winner and a Gold Glove center fielder, each dabbling in the other's world for an afternoon.

Sheeran then jogged back across the street and took the Lumen Field stage hours later for a 28-song set. For Washington fans who caught wind of the video, it's a fun reminder that even global pop stars can't resist a Seattle summer afternoon at the ballpark.