The Seattle Mariners got the early series lead against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 edition of the ALCS, as Cal Raleigh helped his team to a 3-1 victory at Rogers Centre on Sunday evening.
Toronto set the tone first in the contest, with George Springer slamming a solo home run in the opening inning. For the next four innings, the Blue Jays held a precarious one-run lead. The tide started to turn in the Mariners' favor in the sixth inning, where Raleigh took Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman deep for a solo home run that went 420 feet deep.
“I just choked up and wasn’t trying to do too much,” Raleigh said of his home run, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “I was just trying to get bat on ball and really put something in play, maybe find a hole. I didn’t want to punch out again.”
Gausman struck out Raleigh in the third inning with an 84 mph splitter, but the same pitch in the sixth inning didn't have the same effect on the catcher.
“Gausman was splitting him to death the whole night. If he would have made the pitch and got it down where it was strike to ball, you never know,” Seattle hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said of Raleigh's home run.
“But Cal saw it up and put a good swing on it,” continued Seitzer. “He wasn’t trying to do too much, and he crushed it. That’s how it works for him. He makes adjustments really, really well.”
Julio Rodriguez got to first base on a walk after Raleigh's home run. Jorge Polanco then sent Rodriguez home with an RBI single before Josh Naylor struck out to end the inning, with the Mariners on top, 2-1. Polanco extended Seattle's lead with an RBI single in the eighth inning, as the Mariners held on the rest of the way for the victory.
After an unforgettable regular season, Raleigh has continued to play well in the postseason. Through six games in the playoffs, Raleigh has hit .400/.483/.680 with two home runs and five RBIs. He will look to help the Mariners again this Monday in Game 2 of the Blue Jays series, still at Rogers Centre.
