Feb. 9, 2026, 2:00 p.m. PT

Over the last couple of years, Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez has found himself walking the sidelines at Husky Stadium, dating back to the famed 2023 Oregon game.

Last month, the three-time Major League Baseball All-Star outfielder invited legendary Washington Huskies guard Isaiah Thomas down to his native home in the Dominican Republic for a friendly baseball game to help support and give back to youth in the region.

“Shoutout to my brother [Julio Rodriguez] for bringing me out to the DR to change kids’ lives and inspire them to dream BIG, and you did that in a major way. Keep up the great work killa you know it’s all love on this end,” Thomas wrote in a post shared to social media, along with a multitude of photos from the trip, including one with Rodriguez.

The community partnership between the Mariners and the UW athletic department has been constant over the years, but since the Huskies’ run to the national championship in 2023, the relations have even strengthened for several sports, including baseball, football, and men’s basketball.

Prior to the UW-Ohio State game in September, several Mariners players came out to Husky Stadium to support the school as the team made its push towards the 2025 MLB Postseason. Rodriguez was among the players standing in front of the student section while star catcher Cal Raleigh proclaimed UW as having the best fans in college football.

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When the Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in 15 innings to advance to the American League Championship Series on Oct. 10, the same night the Huskies beat Rutgers 38-19, the stadium operators showed the conclusion of the game on the big screen and every smaller display board roughly an hour after the UW game ended, with over a thousand fans still hunkered inside to witness history.

It was just one small sign of the tight bond between UW and the local professional baseball team, even though that same night, star wide receiver Denzel Boston joked that, while he’s a former baseball player himself at least back in his younger days in little league—he wasn’t happy the game drew fans away from Husky Stadium and downtown to T-Mobile Park.

Maybe this spring, Rodriguez can return the favor by showing up to a UW baseball game, but it won’t come on May 1 when the Huskies hold their annual spring football game at 6:30 p.m.

First pitch to start a three-game home stand for the Mariners against the Kansas City Royals is 15 minutes after kickoff of the spring game, so that would likely mean not until the fall will the star outfielder have the chance to get some fans up to Husky Stadium this year.