The Seattle Mariners have been on a tear since an aggressive trade deadline. The Mariners upgraded their roster and immediately began pushing the Houston Astros for the division lead. But on Friday, Seattle trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 in the eighth inning. With the team’s winning streak in danger, Cal Raleigh delivered.
The AL MVP betting favorite blasted his 43rd home run of the season. The 417-foot bomb off Griffin Jax gave the Mariners their first lead of the game, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. The Rays had shut Seattle out through seven innings, allowing just four hits. Then Raleigh turned things around with a huge homer, extending the winning streak to five straight games.
Cal Raleigh, No. 4⃣3⃣ — and probably one of his most dramatic … The shutout bid is over, as he puts the Mariners ahead for the first time tonight with two outs in the 8th inning.
Exit velo: 108.1 mph
Launch angle: 27°
Distance: 417 ft.
Hang time: 5.4 seconds pic.twitter.com/4HrHwToXMQ— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 9, 2025
Raleigh also extended his home run lead. Kyle Schwarber was getting close with 41 dingers. And Big Dumper separated himself from new teammate Eugenio Suarez for the league lead in RBI. The duo had been tied at 90 before Raleigh added three more runs batted in to his total.
Cal Raleigh extends Mariners’ winning streak with clutch homer
The Mariners made history when they landed Suarez at the deadline. It was the first time a league leader in RBI was traded mid-season. And he joined forces with the other league’s RBI leader, giving fans a great deal of confidence in the team’s ability to score runs.
Raleigh and Suarez rank first and second respectively in the American League for both home runs and RBI. The offensive firepower is quite a change for the Mariners. Last season the team boasted one of baseball’s best pitching staffs but the offense was unable to keep up. The Astros overtook Seattle in the division race and the team missed the playoffs.
Determined not to let the same scenario play out in 2025, the Mariners went all-in at the trade deadline. The additions of Suarez and Josh Naylor upgraded the corner infield spots and solidified the roster. Seattle has been scorching since July 31, winning seven of the last eight games and five straight.
The Mariners are now nipping at the Astros’ heels after pulling within 1.5 games of Houston’s AL West lead. But while the team is rolling, it isn’t all positive in the PNW. Naylor was forced to leave Thursday’s game after the third inning due to soreness in his left shoulder. However, the seventh-year veteran got a pivotal update Friday, stating he'll be able to return to the lineup soon.
