NEW YORK – The Mariners and Mets found themselves in a slugfest at Citi Field on Friday night. When it was over, Seattle defeated New York, 11-9, to snap a two-game skid on the heels of an eight-game winning streak.
“There are so many things to say about a game like this today,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Even in the couple of games that we lost in Baltimore, we saw a lot of fight in our guys. Tonight was an incredible example of what these guys have inside. To be able to come back in a game like that … is pretty exceptional.”
The Mariners were down, 6-5, before they pounded New York’s bullpen. It started with right-hander Ryan Helsley. With one out in the seventh and a runner on second, Eugenio Suárez doubled down the left-field line to score Cal Raleigh and tie the score at 6.
Helsley was then taken out of the game in favor of Brooks Raley, who got hit hard. Suárez scored the go-ahead run on a single by Dominic Canzone. After Mitch Garver drew a walk, Donovan Solano doubled to left field, scoring Canzone. Cole Young got in on the act with a double down the right-field line, scoring two more runs.
“Huge contributions. Huge RBIs,” Wilson said. “Getting them with two outs, just all kinds of stuff you look for in a team that wants to fight. That’s what they did tonight and a night that we needed.”
Dating back to July 31, Young has a slash line of .333/.487/.567 with seven RBIs.
“As we have talked about with him, he is a young kid, but he plays older than he is,” Wilson said. “At 22 years old, it doesn’t mean anything to him. Those at-bats tonight – coming up in those situations and getting some really big hits – that’s big time.”
It was a game that saw Raleigh add to his legacy. He hit his 46th home run of the season in the third inning off left-hander Sean Manaea, the second most by a catcher in a single season. Raleigh surpassed Johnny Bench, who hit 45 in 1970 for the Reds. He trails only Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who hit 48 homers in 2021.
“It’s pretty crazy, honestly. I don’t have any words. It’s a very cool accomplishment,” Raleigh said. “Thank God we got the win tonight. It’s kind of the cherry on top. … It’s kind of a surreal moment.”
Wilson has a great appreciation of what Raleigh has accomplished. Wilson was once a catcher for the Mariners and one of the best receivers in the team’s history.
“Johnny Bench was the guy I looked up to as a kid. When I hear that name and I hear somebody passes him, that means a lot to me,” Wilson said. “We have been watching it, seeing it and hearing about it all year. It’s pretty staggering what Cal has been able to do and continues to do. There is still a lot left to go. What an incredible year for him.”
Raleigh also became the first player in the American League to drive in 100 runs this season. He is the first catcher since Mike Piazza (1996-2000) with consecutive 100-plus RBI seasons (minimum 50% of his games at catcher).
“It’s a great feeling. RBIs are hard to come by, so those are important,” Raleigh said. “I learned early on in my career that is a very important stat. Sometimes, it gets overlooked. I’m very proud of it and it’s a good feeling.”
Young is amazed that Raleigh has 100 RBIs with more than a month left in the regular season.
“To already have 100 RBIs – there are no words. It’s pretty impressive,” Young said.
After Seattle added a run off Frankie Montas to make it an 11-6 game, the Mets didn’t give up. With right-hander Jackson Kowar on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, Francisco Alvarez made it a two-run game with a three-run homer.
But right-handers Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz shut down the Mets the rest of the way. With the victory, the Mariners found themselves a half-game behind the Astros in the AL West, with Houston losing to the Orioles, 7-0, at Daikin Park.
“I’m really proud of the guys. They stayed in it. It could have been one of those games where you fold and get down a little bit. We didn’t do that,” Raleigh said.