CHICAGO -- Leody Taveras needed just one pitch from White Sox reliever Mike Vasil to see one he really liked.
With a runner at second and nobody out in the top of the eighth Wednesday afternoon, Taveras unloaded on a first-pitch changeup thrown over the heart of the plate. The shot to right-center landed a few feet over the wall for a go-ahead -- and eventually, game-winning -- two-run home run in the Mariners’ 6-5 series-clinching victory at Rate Field.
The last couple of weeks have been an adjustment for the 26-year-old Taveras.
He spent the last five seasons and the first 30 games of 2025 with Texas, but to start this season, he hit .241 with a .601 OPS. Seattle claimed him off waivers May 6, and he’s since started in right field in 12 of the 13 games he’s played.
Taveras is still searching for consistent results offensively, though. In this stint with the Mariners, he’s hitting .182 with a .531 OPS. So while he keeps getting settled in, the team hopes his clutch homer is a sign of better days ahead.
“He swung the bat very well today,” manager Dan Wilson said. “Hit the ball hard just about every time up today. Found the barrel a lot, particularly that last time up, and that was a big lift for us.”
Before Taveras’ long ball, the teams were stuck in a back-and-forth affair.
Seattle drew a pair of walks to kick off the game against Chicago starter Shane Smith. Julio Rodríguez then followed with a home run a bit right of center field, giving the Mariners three runs before they recorded an out.
“That ball went off the bat, and immediately, [bench coach] Manny [Acta] said, 'Wow, that ball was smoked,’” Wilson said.
It was Rodríguez’s second homer of the series, following his decisive grand slam Monday night. That’s continued an uptick in his offensive production recently after a tough first month-plus.
Though he’s currently at a .724 OPS on the year, Rodríguez posted an .820 OPS since May 6 and has a hit (including four homers) in 12 of 14 games during that stretch. It’s been a good two weeks of offense the Mariners believe will lead to an even better stretch.
“He's in a really good spot,” Wilson said. “He's been swinging the bat very well, pretty consistently. In those RBI situations, to see him go that way, and to see him hit the ball hard that way, that's a really good sign. He's continuing to swing the bat well.”
Smith settled in after that, though. Seattle got just three more runners on base as Smith shut down the Mariners through the fifth. By the time his day was done, Chicago had pulled ahead, 4-3. But against a White Sox bullpen that entered the day ranked 24th in the Majors in ERA (4.65), the Mariners took advantage.
Cal Raleigh hit his 16th home run of the year, tying Aaron Judge for the most in the American League, to lead off the top of the sixth and tie the game. He continues to be an important piece on both sides of the ball. Immediately following the win, his 2.9 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs) ranked second in the AL, while his .954 OPS ranked sixth in the Major Leagues.
That Raleigh puts up those numbers as a switch-hitter -- his homer came from the right side, while he earlier doubled batting lefty -- and plays great defense without having missed a game this year is a testament to his value.
“There's no one like him,” said Logan Evans, who allowed four runs over six innings. “He's a Platinum Glove winner, can do it from both sides of the plate. He’s so valuable -- not only on the field, but in the clubhouse as well. He's such a leader, a vocal leader and just also by his actions. He shows up every day and goes to work, and he's a great leader for our team.”
It wasn’t Evans’ best day on the mound, but Rodríguez and Raleigh’s home runs kept it close. Seattle didn’t take advantage of a bases-loaded spot in the seventh, but Taveras came through with the Mariners trailing by a run just an inning later.
“That's what we do,” Evans said. “We're never going to be out of it. They're going to throw punches at us sometimes, and we're going to punch right back. It's a long season, but I think if we can do that consistently, we're going to go places, for sure.”