Mariners' Julio Rodriguez opens up about home invasion

Tim Booth, The Seattle Times on Jun 7, 2025

Published in Baseball

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Standing in front of his locker late Friday night, Julio Rodríguez could have pushed the discussion to another day. Coming off a fourth straight Mariners loss wasn’t necessarily the optimal time to talk about something as personal as having his home invaded.

But Rodríguez wanted to address what happened more than a month ago and how it’s impacted him and those close to him in the time since.

“Obviously, they just brought it out now, but it happened a while back ago and that’s a lot of the things that kind of happened behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know. But it was very difficult at times to be out there,” Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez was one of four athletes in the Seattle area hit by a string of targeted home burglaries that happened over the span of several months beginning in February. News of Rodríguez being part of the string became known on Friday when the King County Prosecutor’s Office announced Earl Riley, 21, had been charged with four counts of residential burglary and one count of first-degree robbery.

Prosecutors found objects from the athletes’ homes among Riley’s belongings, and some had been gifted to his family, according to a probable cause document.

Along with Rodríguez, Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo had his home burglarized twice, including the day he pitched his first game of the regular season in late March. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell and former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman were also hit. Court documents said Riley also targeted the home of Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, now the Mariners’ senior director of hitting strategy, but did not enter the residence.

The burglary at Rodríguez’s home happened on May 1, an off day when the Mariners were beginning a six-game road trip, and while his girlfriend was home, according to the charges. She barricaded herself in the bathroom while one of the suspects tried to force their way in and they fled with nearly $200,000 worth of belongings, according to the charges. Police located and tailed the car as it was driving away before hearing several bangs. Nearby utility workers reported they were gunshots, causing them to take cover. A shell casing was found nearby, the charges state.

“It was hard. Like, I’m not going to lie about that. It was hard because I’m just trying to enjoy baseball and enjoy my dream and play. And you have people trying to hurt you,” Rodríguez said. “You know there’s bad people out there. But once it happens to you and you actually kind of face that reality like right there firsthand, like, it’s not a good feeling. I don’t wish that to anybody else.”

Rodríguez was appreciative of the help of the Mariners and law enforcement in working through what happened.

“Huge. They have been there for us and talking to people, the police officers and everybody, to make sure that we’re safe. And that’s something that I’m grateful because, man, I don’t know what I would do if I were to lose somebody I love for something so not meaningful just to steal a few things,” Rodríguez said. “There are some tough times that people can have, but there are so many other ways that you can go about it, you can go about your life.”

The first burglary at Castillo’s home came in February on the same day Riley was sentenced by a superior court judge to a mental health sentencing alternative for three counts of robbery and released from the King County Jail. Charging documents say $6,000 in Louis Vuitton bags were stolen from Castillo’s residence in the first incident.

The second happened on March 28, the day of the Mariners’ second regular-season game during which Castillo was the starting pitcher. Castillo threw five innings and allowed three hits and two runs in a game the Mariners lost, 7-0.

According to charging papers, more than $100,000 in items were taken from Castillo’s residence during that second burglary, which took place two days after the burglary at Snell’s home.

A day later, charging documents say, the suspects targeted the home of Martinez, but aborted their attempts at Martinez’s property after apparently noticing someone was at home.

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Material from The Seattle Times archive was included in this report.