Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh runs bases after hitting a solo homerun off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cody Morris during the second inning of a baseball game on Friday, September 2, 2022 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
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Cal Raleigh was unable to complete his post-game interview outside the visiting Progressive Field dugout without a break from Mariners manager Scott Servais, water bottle in hand.
Raleigh didn’t hit a walk-off, or throw a no-hitter, as most Gatorade bath-like celebrations would require. But his performance on Friday was well worth one. The 25-year old Seattle catcher destroyed two homeruns, first a low-flying solo laser in the second inning and then another three-run explosion in the sixth.
In total, Raleigh hit four runs at the plate and again took the lead for most home runs in baseball among catchers with 21. Behind the plate, he caught six shutout innings from new ace Luis Castillo and helped extend Seattle’s winning streak to five games in a 6 to bring. -1 win, Seattle’s third such streak of the season.
Servais had no cooler, but approached his 24-year-old catcher with a grin before dousing him with water and finishing the moment with a hug.
“Wow, Cal Raleigh,” Servais began later, at his post-game press conference. “Hey! 21 home runs. Kind of a season he put together.
“If you look at where the season started for him and where he is now, I don’t think anyone could have predicted this. … But it was in (him). You just don’t know when it will come out.”
Raleigh, with 21 home runs, became the third catcher in Mariners history to hit 20 home runs in a season, along with Mike Zunino (three times) and Omar Narvaez (2019). It was his second multi-home game of his career (August 17 in LAA).
“We ask a lot of our catchers,” says Servais. “And he’s up for the challenge.”
The Seattle pitchers love 25-year-old Raleigh and they listen to him despite his sophomore status. And Servais, an 11-year backstop veteran, is confident in his thriving young catcher, regardless of age.
But Raleigh’s road to Major League success hasn’t always been smooth – in April, for example, he went 2-for-24 at the plate. Seattle chose Raleigh for Triple-A Tacoma on April 28, where he shortened his swing to chase fastballs and went “back to basics.”
In seven games with the Rainiers, Raleigh was 8-for-28 (.286) with four RBI’s.
“I think it starts with the fastball,” he said. “If you’re on time with the fastball, you can always adapt to the other stuff. If you’re up to speed, or somewhere in between, then you’re really going to get in trouble.
“Anything you see jumping out of (the thrower’s) hand, you adapt to it. I think that’s what most good hitters do, and that’s what I try to model.”
What stands out for ex-catcher Servais is Raleigh’s unwavering dedication to the pitching staff, which he considers a top priority. During his earlier stint with Triple-A Tacoma, manager Tim Federowicz, also a veteran catcher, was impressed with Raleigh’s ability to call games and assist pitchers, some younger than him.
“You don’t go out and hit two home runs, or even just one hit, every day,” Raleigh said. “That’s the game. But you can always go back and try to control the other batters, trying to plan against them.
“I am proud to take care of my pitcher. That’s number one.”
Reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray followed Castillo’s impressive outing on Friday with six scoreless innings on Saturday to give the Mariners a 4-0 victory. Raleigh was 1-for-3 with a walk and Jesse Winker singled in the fifth inning.
Ty France homered and the Mariners hit a few more runs on walks. It was the 17th consecutive start of five or more innings with two or fewer walks for Seattle’s rotation – an active franchise record.
Hoping for consecutive sweeps, Seattle took a 2-1 lead in Sunday’s game before a rain delay delayed the game in the fourth inning. Ty France doubled down at home for Julio Rodriguez in the first inning before the latter launched his 23rd home run of the season – a solo shot – in the third.
With Sunday’s game still unfinished, the Mariners are 75-58 and lead Tampa Bay (74-58) by half a game for the highest AL wildcard assignment. Baltimore (71-62), the first retired team, is four games behind.
The atmosphere is good, and Seattle’s chances of getting through the two-decade playoff drought are increasing — to 98.2 percent, Baseball Reference says. On a six game road trip – five of which were completed – the Mariners were a flawless 5-0.
The Mariners are 17-2 this season when Raleigh homers.
“I think I should homerate more then,” he said with a chuckle on Friday. “I need to do (this) more often.”
KIRBY ALREADY WINS ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Seattle’s catchers “love” George Kirby’s two-seam fastball. When opponents are inevitably fooled by the 24-year-old’s new and improved offerings, the pitching coaches grin among themselves.
Kirby’s venture to introduce and hone a two-seamer with fellow starter Robbie Ray paid a nice dividend last month, by far the best five-week period of Kirby’s rookie season. He is the youngest player in a stacked rotation in Seattle, taking home the American League Rookie of the Month honor for August on Friday.
The righthander went 4-0 with an earned runs average of 2.15 with 34 strikeouts in five starts in August. He led league rookies in WAR (1.4) and WHIP (1.13), walking only three of the 120 batters faced in total.
Kirby is the third Mariners pitcher to win the award, along with Rafael Soriano (Aug. 2003) and Michael Pineda (April 2011).
“It’s been fun this past month throwing that new two-seam and changing up my slider a little bit,” Kirby told reporters. ‘I also have more work to do. So I’m just looking to always add something or fix something, just to make it a little bit better.”
Before Kirby could finish his interview, fellow rookie and All-Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez intervened: “That’s my teammate!”
Kirby rarely walks out on anyone — his running speed falls in the 98th percentile of all MLB pitchers. He attributes the success to better strikeout execution, supported by a steadily rising strikeout rate that currently falls in the 64th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
He learns how to increase scent speed by encouraging hitters to chase out of the strike zone, an accepted challenge for the 2019 first-rounder.
“That’s what I’m learning. That’s definitely been a challenge for me because I like throwing all my pitches for strikes,” he said. “I have to adapt to that, but I think it’s going well (good).
Kirby threw three innings of one-run ball on Sunday, struckout two and was not walked before the rain delay.
“A lot of guys throw two-seam fastballs, but not many throw the road.” he yes,” says Servais. “Certainly (not) with the speed and the movement, and how he can control certain parts of the attack zone.
“It’s been a nice weapon, definitely something the other team should prepare for in their meetings.”
ROSTER MOVES
Seattle recalled OF Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma and reinstated LHP Matthew Boyd from the 60-day injured list on Thursday as MLB rosters expanded from 26 players to 28.
Born on Mercer Island, Boyd grew up a Mariners fan and attended Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish. He was traded to Seattle hours before the August 2 trade deadline, sending the 31-year-old to his home team amid what could become the club’s first postseason appearance since 2001.
“This is just unreal,” Boyd said Tuesday. “I dreamed of putting on this uniform. I get chills just thinking about it.”
– Seattle placed INF Dylan Moore on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on Wednesday, backdated to August 29. In a similar move, INF Abraham Toro was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
SHORT HOPS
Two of Cleveland’s three scheduled starters for a weekend series with Seattle were put on the injured list just hours before Friday’s opener, perhaps hurting their chances against an up-and-coming Mariners team and intensifying an already sober pennant race in the AL Central.
Aaron Civale, the 27-year-old Cleveland right-hander, was placed on the list injured with a forearm infection. But it was revealed that Zach Plesac, who suffered a broken fifth right finger, may have injured himself at T-Mobile Park last weekend.
After handing over a home run to Mariners infielder Jake Lamb on August 27, Plesac turned to watch the homer hit the right field seats before hitting the grass at the base of the mound at his feet.
“They’re assuming that’s what caused the breakup,” Mandy Bell of MLB.com wrote.
ON DECK
Seattle returns to T-Mobile Park on Monday for a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, the first leg of an eight-game homestand lasting 10 days. Southpaw starter Marco Gonzales climbs the mound for a 3:40 PM first pitch.
After three with Chicago, Seattle hosts a pair of interleague matchups, first with Atlanta September 9-11. The Mariners welcome the San Diego Padres on August 13-14 before departing for a 10-game road trip, their last of the regular season.
Tyler Wicke joined The News Tribune in 2019 as a sports clerk. Wicke, a 2021 graduate of the University of Washington Tacoma, covers the Mariners, prepares, and performs administrative duties. Was once a near-scratch golfer but now he’s just happy to break 80.
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