Only fitting it was Cal Raleigh who catapulted the Seattle Mariners to their first American League West championship in 24 years on Wednesday.
The switch-hitting catcher launched two more homers to give him an MLB-best 60 this season as the streaking Mariners clinched the fourth division crown in the franchise’s 49-year history with a 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
“To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, Mom and Dad, obviously, was really cool,” Raleigh said.
Photo: AFP
The lone big-league team who have never been to a World Series, Seattle last won the AL West in 2001, when they set an American League record with 116 wins — thanks in large part to a prolific rookie season from new Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
However, similar to that team, winning the division this year required more than a record-setting performance from one player. In addition to Raleigh, this year’s Mariners had four other All-Stars: outfielders Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez, as well as right-hander Bryan Woo and closer Andres Munoz.
“Really proud of the guys here,” Raleigh said. “It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”
Photo: AFP
Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez also went deep for the Mariners against the Rockies.
Raleigh hit solo shots in the first and eighth innings, and added a two-run double in the second, going three-for-five with four RBIs.
He is the seventh player — and first catcher — ever to have a 60-homer season, joining Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire (twice), Sammy Sosa (three times), Aaron Judge, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth.
Photo: AFP
Judge set the AL record of 62 in 2022.
Blaine Crim homered for the Rockies (43-115), who dropped their second straight game.
Even with that All-Star quintet, the Mariners entered the break in the middle of the summer just six games over. 500, a mark that held prior to the July 31 trade deadline.
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Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto felt compelled to add to a team who entered last month 4.5 games back of the division lead and did so in a meaningful way.
The Mariners acquired slugging third baseman Suarez and multi-talented first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and getting ahold of both has proven to be quite shrewd. Since the deadline, the Mariners have gone 31-17, won 16 of their past 17 and clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday thanks to some late-game heroics from Naylor.
It has not just been a potent Mariners lineup — one which entered Wednesday’s game with the third-most homers in the majors — that has powered the club back to the post-season for the first time since 2022.
Despite injuries to the likes of right-handed starters George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Logan Evans and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners’ rotation has held together. Veteran right-hander Luis Castillo has been steady and available all season, while Woo broke out in a big way during his first All-Star campaign.
“When you look at this team, the depth of our lineup, the depth of our pitching, the bullpen, we’ve got incredible guys here,” manager Dan Wilson said.
Woo leads all Seattle pitchers in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and wins above replacement.
However, he will not take his next turn in the rotation, as his scheduled start against the Rockies was being skipped due to pectoral tightness, Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said on Tuesday.
Having a healthy Woo for the post-season would go a long way for the Mariners, who are closing in on a first-round bye.
Of course, it will not be easy for the Mariners next month. Still looking for their first pennant, the franchise has never made it further than the AL Championship Series in five post-season appearances.
However, as Seattle have proven all season, they are hardly a one-dimensional team, even if Raleigh has drawn ample headlines with his propensity for the long ball. Instead, they are a deep team with plenty of camaraderie and a handful of starting pitchers who would be aces on other teams.
“We care about each other, truly,” Rodriguez said. “We would die for each other every single day. It means a lot for a team to be able to be like that.”
Only time will tell if Seattle have what it takes to write a new chapter and go further in the post-season than any previous Mariners team.
“I think we’re playing our best baseball right now, and that’s the teams you see win it all,” Gilbert said. “So, I think we’ve got a chance.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Angels 3, Royals 2
‧ Athletics 6, Astros 0
‧ Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 7
‧ Braves 3, Nationals 4
‧ Cubs 10, Mets 3
‧ Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4
‧ Giants 4, Cardinals 3
‧ Guardians 5, Tigers 1
‧ Orioles 2, Rays 6
‧ Padres 1, Brewers 3
‧ Phillies 11, Marlins 1
‧ Rangers 4, Twins 2
‧ Reds 3, Pirates 4 (11i)
‧ Yankees 8, White Sox 1
Additional reporting by Reuters
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