Whidbey teen gets birthday surprise from Julio Rodríguez

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026

A baseball bat signed by Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez gets tucked into bed every night in a Central Whidbey home.

Lilly Arrington celebrated her 13th birthday on Aug. 2 in the stands of T-Mobile Park, where she watched the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6. During the game, Rodriguez — Arrington’s favorite player — saw her sign asking to trade candy for a signed bat and handed her one from the field.

“I wrap it in a blanket before I go to sleep and then I unwrap it in the morning and make sure it’s still there,” Arrington said.

The interaction gave Arrington a memory and a souvenir she will treasure forever ahead of her family’s big move.

The bat will travel thousands of miles with the Arrington family when they move to Hawaii early next year. A Navy family, they have lived on Whidbey Island throughout Lilly’s father’s career and plan to return after he retires, Sara Arrington said.

Lilly Arrington loves the Mariners and is upset about having to leave them behind. She became a fan three or four years ago, frequently attends games and plays softball herself. Rodriguez is her favorite player, she explained, because of his outgoing personality and “good heart.”

“As soon as I heard we were moving, I was like ‘No! The Mariners!’” Lilly Arrington said. “I’m worried. I don’t think Julio will be off the team because I’ve heard he has a really long contract. But I mean, I don’t know. I’m very sad.”

Rodriguez is in the fourth year of a 12-year, $209.3 million contract.

Offering candy and trinkets in exchange for bats, balls and photo ops is commonplace at sporting events today. Lilly Arrington brought Nerds Gummy Clusters and Sour Patch Kids to barter with. Every time Rodríguez looked toward the center-field video board, Lilly held up her sign, hoping to catch his attention.

Late in the game, the Arringtons spotted Rodriguez jogging out of the dugout with a bat. He pointed at Lilly Arrington, and told another fan to help him get the bat to her. The crowd went wild.

“I hope this bat finds a good home with you,” Rodriguez wrote. “Happy birthday.”

Lilly Arrington couldn’t believe what happened.

“I didn’t think it was real,” she recalled. “… Even hours after I got the bat when we were driving home, I was still like ‘This isn’t real life.’”

That the Mariners pulled out a win made the evening even more special. Sara Arrington said the Mariners have a winning record while the family is in attendance.

“This is part of the reason why we fell in love with Julio,” she said.

Although Lilly Arrington said the interaction makes it even harder to leave her beloved Mariners behind, her fandom won’t be going anywhere.

“Even when he isn’t on the Mariners anymore, I’m definitely still gonna wear a Julio jersey,” she said.