The Seattle Mariners were crowned kings of the American League West on Wednesday night as catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 59th and 60th home runs of the season.
The mighty Mariners, who mashed five solo home runs at raucous T-Mobile Park, clinched their title by drubbing Major League Baseball’s doormat, aka the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
The Mariners, who won their first division title since 2001, are 16-1 over their last 17 games.
Raleigh’s 59th homer came off Rockies starter Tanner Gordon in the first inning. The switch-hitter’s 60th came in the eighth off right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli, making Raleigh one of just seven players to hit 60 or more home runs in a season.
Raleigh is now just two homers from the AL single-season record of 62 home runs, set by Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in 2022.
Raleigh’s historic night — it was his 11th multi-homer game of the season — overshadowed starter Luis Castillo’s near-perfect night. Over 7 1/3 innings, the Seattle right-hander allowed one run on one hit, struck out 10, and walked none. He made the Rockies look helpless.
The one hit Castillo allowed was a two-out solo homer to Blaine Crim in the fourth. When Castillo departed the mound, the partying crowd gave him a prolonged standing ovation.
The Rockies, who have not won back-to-back games since Aug. 18, slid to 43-115. Their run differential stands at an astronomical minus-412 with four games remaining in their season. The Rockies own the worst run differential in a season since 1901, obliterating the 1932 Red Sox’s mark of minus-349 differential.
Gordon’s final start of the season was a dud. The right-hander pitched just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs (five earned) on eight hits.
Three of those hits were solo home runs, and they all came in the first inning. Raleigh started it off with a 438-foot blast to the third deck in right field. Julio Rodriguez immediately followed with a 422-foot shot to left field, his 32nd. Next up, Jorge Polanco, who hit a two-out, 360-foot homer down the right-field line, his 25th.
Gordon had flashed promise in his previous seven starts (five quality), going 4-2 with a 3.96 ERA. But the powerful Mariners punished Gordon, and he finished his season 6-8 with a 6.33 ERA.
Thursday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (2-5, 9-16 ERA) at Mariners TBA
7:40 p.m. Thursday, T-Mobile Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Trending: Entering Wednesday night’s game at Seattle, first baseman Blaine Crim had hit safely in nine of his first 10 games with the Rockies, batting 10-for-34 (.294) with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Crim’s 11 RBIs are the third-most in franchise history through a player’s first 10 games with the club, trailing Andres Galarraga (14 RBIs, 1993) and Trevor Story (13 RBIs, 2016). Crim, Story, Miguel Olivo (2010), and Ellis Burks (1994) are the only players in franchise history with at least 10 hits and four home runs through their first 10 games with the club.
Pitching probables
Friday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-15, 6.49) at Giants Kai-Wei Teng, (2-4, 6.37), 8:15 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (5-16, 5.00) at Giants RHP Trevor McDonald (0-0, 3.38), 2:05 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Hence then, the article about mariners clinch al west title cal raleigh hits 60th homer and rockies lose 115th game was published today ( ) and is available on The Denver Post ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Mariners clinch AL West title, Cal Raleigh hits 60th homer and Rockies lose 115th game )
Also on site :
- Sheikh Sabri: Israeli enemy seeks to change reality of al-Aqsa Mosque as prelude to seizing control of it
- At 61, this major insurance CEO works out 6 days a week with his 23-year-old son—he picks his brain for a Gen Z perspective while lifting weights
- Not all degrees are a waste of time: MBA graduates from Harvard, MIT, and Wharton are making over $245,000 just three years after graduating