"My mom was the one who told me" - Julio Rodriguez proudly reflects on donating first ambulance to his hometown after Mariners star's big league debut

Dominican-born Julio Rodriguez gave back to his roots and hometown of Loma de Cabrera. The Seattle Mariners outfielder spoke in an interview about the time he donated an ambulance to the locality.

In his first full season in the MLB, in 2022, Rodriguez shone, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award and becoming the fastest to achieve a 25-25 season. He led the Mariners to a playoff appearance and immediately signed a massive 14-year, $400 million contract.

Showing his generous side, the first big thing that J-Rod did with his earnings was provide multiple donations to Loma de Cabrera. Apart from toys and baseball equipment for the children, he gifted an ambulance that till that point was missing from Loma's essential services.

While speaking with Victor Fernandez, the face behind the barber brand Vic Blends, Julio Rodriguez spoke about the moment. The talk about donating the medical aid was brought up by his mother.

"It happened at the end of the first year of the big leagues. I was able to do that. My mom was actually the one who told me about it," he said.

The 23-year-old also noted that the day after the ambulance was put to service, someone in his hometown could avail of it.

"Once we donated, literally the day after, there was somebody who had an accident, so they were able to use the ambulance to take the person to the hospital," he added.

Julio Rodriguez and Mariners going through a tough stretch

After returning from injury, Julio Rodriguez and Seattle haven't found much success. They currently have a five-game skid with their recent loss coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates in embarrassing fashion. Their 7-2 loss ended with a no-outs bases-loaded situation with J-Rod striking out to end the game.

The Mariners have been highly inconsistent this season. They at one point had a 10.0 games lead over the AL East but squandered a golden opportunity to consolidate and now find themselves 4.0 games behind the leaders Houston Astros.