Seattle, WA
What Cal said after signing new deal with Seattle Mariners
Cal Raleigh spoke glowingly about the city of Seattle and how badly he wants to deliver a World Series crown to the success-starved Mariners fanbase. He expressed confidence in his teammates and the organization. He teared up when talking about his family.
And of course, he worked in some good-natured ribbing toward his fellow battery mates in Seattle’s talented starting rotation.
Lefko: Cal’s commitment changes the feeling about Mariners’ future
After Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a six-year, $105 million contract extension earlier this week, the organization formally announced the deal during a news conference on Friday. Here are some highlights what the slugging, Platinum Glove Award-winning catcher said.
A priceless connection
From his drought-breaking home run to his “Big Dumper” nickname, Raleigh has become a fan favorite since making his big league debut with the Mariners in 2021. And as the 28-year-old catcher has repeatedly emphasized, it’s a two-way bond.
“One of the big things when deciding wanting to sign here was wanting to be someone to bring a World Series to this city and to an organization and a place that’s been so special to me and my family,” Raleigh said. “Not a lot of guys get a chance to play for one organization their whole career. … And it means a lot that (the Mariners) believe in me and that I’m gonna get a chance to do that.
“I look at guys like Alvin Davis, Dan Wilson and Ichiro. They’re Mariner greats and they’re legends in the city of Seattle and how much they mean to this city. And I think that’s super special and something that money can’t buy.”
Seattle is a long way from Raleigh’s hometown of Cullowhee, North Carolina, or where he spent his college days at Florida State University. But he said it’s become his second home.
“To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Seattle at the very beginning, even when I was drafted,” Raleigh said. “I came up here and played in Everett and slowly learned the culture and slowly learned what this organization and what this city is all about. And I kind of fell in love with it.
“This city has really embraced me, and not just me, but really all of our players. They’re great fans, they really are. They support us all the time and through the ups and downs. So when you have that kind of people in your background, it makes it really special and makes me want to stay here and want to play for those people.
“It’s not always about the money,” he added. “Sometimes it’s more about being happy and in a place that you love and a place that you really appreciate. And that’s what Seattle has shown me. And to get that opportunity to do that for a long time means a lot to me and my family.”
Confidence in the organization
The Mariners remain the only MLB franchise to never reach the World Series. Raleigh is determined to end that distinction.
“I believe in the guys in the room that we have right now,” Raleigh said. “One of the best (pitching) staffs in all of baseball, both bullpen and starters. Obviously looking ahead to the future, a lot of good young prospects. I know you can’t always count on that, but a lot of guys with good makeup and guys that I do like what I saw from spring training. And I do believe we’ve got a lot of good things going here, especially with some guys already locked up.
“With that being said, it’s going to be one of my jobs now to be a leader and be a guy who can make this into a consistent winner and somebody who can set the culture the right way here, so that’s what I’m really looking forward to. … Nothing’s gonna change in the sense of how I prepare or what the goal is, but it just feels really good that these guys believe in me and believe in what we’re doing here.”
A ‘special’ bond
A number of Raleigh’s teammates were in attendance for his news conference, including starting pitchers Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock. (Luis Castillo was the starting pitcher for Friday night’s game.)
So naturally, there were some playful barbs back and forth.
At one point, Miller chimed in: “So last week, we went (out) to eat and you let Logan put his card down. So I’m wondering if you plan on reimbursing him?”
“Uh, well, the deal wasn’t done yet,” Raleigh said with a laugh. “… He still owes me a few for some dirtballs I’ve had to block for him.”
Later on, Woo presented a football analogy: “When a QB gets paid, he does a pretty good job of taking care of his O-linemen. O-linemen don’t get a whole lot of credit in the trenches with you every day. Have you put any thought toward taking care of your O-linemen?”
“Usually it’s the other way around,” Raleigh responded. “The pitcher’s supposed to take care of the catcher, right? I don’t know, we’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll get you guys a gift or something – something small.
“I’ve seen Rolexes. I’ve seen cars,” Woo chimed back. “Just putting it out there.”
“I’ll think about you guys,” Raleigh said.
Raleigh said it meant a lot to have his pitchers and teammates show up in support.
“It’s really special. These guys mean a lot to me. A lot of these guys I’ve come up with and have unfortunately had to room with some of them,” Raleigh said with a laugh. “No, I’m kidding. But these guys mean a lot to mean and (it’s) very special to see these guys and coaches that I’ve kind of came up with as well.
“It’s special when you have those relationships. And it makes it even better when I know I’m gonna be here a lot longer and share a lot of memories with these guys.”
One final thank you
Before the news conference ended, Raleigh had one more message.
“I just want to say thank you to all my coaches (and) everybody in the organization,” Raleigh said. “You guys have treated me very well over the past nine years. This is the only place I’ve ever known, and I’m hoping this will be the only place that I ever have to know.
“So all the people that have helped me get here, obviously my teammates, thank you very much. It really means a lot.”
Raleigh then started fighting back tears while thanking his family, which was in attendance.
“My mom and dad, thank you guys for giving me all the opportunities in the world, and my brothers and sisters for always being there for me,” Raleigh said. “I know it’s hard being all the way out in Seattle, but I do love it here and thank you guys for everything.
Raleigh closed by addressing Mariners general manager and team majority owner John Stanton, who were seated to his right.
“And thank you guys as well for giving me this opportunity to believe in me and lead this team,” Raleigh said. “I’m going to do everything I can to help us win a World Series.”
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Seattle – A busy weekend around Puget Sound with Kendrick Lamar and Sza also taking the stage Saturday night at Lumen Field. Rain is forecast at times during the concert with cool temperatures dropping into the 40s.
Chance of rain continues through the night.
A convergence zone will settle in tonight around the King and Snohomish County area. Rain may be heavy at times with some thunder possible. Another weak disturbance will swing through tomorrow with scattered showers.
Another weak disturbance swings through on Sunday with additional scattered showers.
Onshore flow will keep our temperatures cooler than average through the weekend, but a warm-up is expected by next weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day.
Onshore flow continues on Sunday with afternoon temperatures still cooler than normal.
Along with the cooler-than-normal weather in Seattle this week, there’s an almost daily chance of showers as well. We are still looking drier, though in time for Memorial Day weekend next weekend.
Along with the cooler-than-normal weather in Seattle this week, there’s an almost daily chance of showers as well.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — J.P. Crawford homered on Stephen Kolek’s first pitch and Rowdy Tellez and Cal Raleigh each added a two-run shot for the Seattle Mariners, who beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 Friday night in the opening game of the inaugural Vedder Cup.
Seattle Mariners 5, San Diego Padres 1: Box score
Rookie Logan Evans (2-1) pitched six strong innings for the Mariners, who took a 1 1/2-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Padres came in trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game in the NL West.
J.P. Crawford launches 1st-pitch leadoff HR in return to lineup
The annual interleague series between the teams that share a spring training complex was informally known since 2011 as the Vedder Cup, a reference to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Vedder, who is actually a Chicago Cubs fan, spent some formative years in San Diego before moving to Seattle and joining the fledgling band in 1990. The two teams formalized the competition in March, with the winner getting a trophy featuring a guitar provided by Vedder. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
The teams play again in Seattle Aug. 25-27.
The Padres and Mariners will support EB Research Partnership, a charity co-founded by Eddie and Jill Vedder dedicated to funding research to discover treatments and cures for Epidermolysis Bullosa.
Crawford’s homer was his fourth. Tellez also connected to right with two outs in the fourth, with Raleigh aboard on a walk. It was his seventh. Raleigh homered to left, his 14th, after Julio Rodriguez singled leading off the sixth.
Evans, whose ERA was lowered by six runs on Thursday due to a scoring decision change, held the Padres to seven hits while striking out three and walking one. Only four Padres reached scoring position.
Kolek (2-1) was coming off his first career complete game in a 21-0 win at Colorado last Saturday. He allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and one walk.
Key moment
Crawford set the tone with his 357-foot homer over the home run porch in the right field corner.
Key Stat
Crawford’s 14 leadoff homers are second in Mariners history behind Ichiro Suzuki’s 37.
Up next
Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (1-2, 6.91 ERA) and Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (5-2, 3.05) are scheduled to start Saturday night.
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Coming off a 1-5 homestand, the Seattle Mariners are set to embark on their most difficult stretch of season thus far.
After being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and losing a three-game series against the New York Yankees, Seattle will play 10 straight road games from Friday through May 25. That road trip starts at 6:40 p.m. PT on Friday in Game 1 of a three-game set against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The Mariners will follow that with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox from May 19-21 at Rate Field, and will conclude the trip with a four-game series against the Houston Astros from May 22-25 at Minute Maid Park.
Entering Friday, the Mariners are 23-19 and have a half-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West. During their 1-5 home stretch, they were outscored 36-16 and scored more than three runs just once.
On top of that, pitcher Bryce Miller joined fellow starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
It’s hard to have an optimistic outlook on Seattle, especially with the daunting road trip. But it’s not time to hit the panic button yet.
Firstly, the Mariners have already been here this season. They started the season 3-7 after splitting a series against the Athletics, losing a series to the Detroit Tigers and getting swept by the San Francisco Giants. Seattle ended up winning nine consecutive series for the first time since 2001 in the immediate aftermath.
“We already have experience feeling this way, kind of like nothing’s really going your way,” Julio Rodriguez said after a 3-2 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday. “But I think that this group does really well that. Just kind of finding a way, even if it’s hard. We’ve been here, we just got to continue to put one foot in front of the other and see what happens next game.”
Even if the Mariners offense doesn’t consistently return to the form they had during their series win streak, there’s hope the starting rotation can get back to the level it’s been accustomed to.
Kirby could be activated off the injured list during the road trip, and there’s optimism Miller’s stint on the IL will be minimal after he received a cortisone shot and an MRI revealed no structural damage.
Gilbert likely won’t be too far behind Kirby and Gilbert.
If the offense can weather the storm until the three make their return, then Seattle could be in a good position to go on a run for the rest of the first half. At that point, Luke Raley will likely be back in the mix from his strained oblique, and Victor Robles could be back around the All-Star break.
In the latest episode of “The Cal Raleigh Show” With Shannon Drayer, Raleigh reaffirmed the team’s mindset even with their recent struggles.
“We just got to keep hammering it home. … It’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s not about trying to do more or trying to do something different. It’s just continuing to lean on what we’ve talked about and the identity of who we are and just trying to always, consistently be that. Especially when things aren’t going your way, or you start wavering a little bit, just always trying to go back to that identity.”
All the Mariners have to do is not fall apart. The AL West has been extremely competitive in the first quarter of the season. Every team, with the exception of the fifth-place Los Angeles Angels, has had solid stretches. A 4-6 or 5-5 road trip would be a success for Seattle. Anything else would be a bonus.
We’ll see how they respond beginning Friday. After all, they’ve been here before.
FORMER MARINERS BROADCASTER HIGHLIGHTS FORMER COLLEAGUES: Former Mariners and current New York Yankees broadcaster Dave Sims posted photos on “X” with his former co-workers after a series between the two teams. CLICK HERE
PITCHING MATCHUPS FOR SERIES BETWEEN MARINERS, PADRES: The two sides will play the first part of the Eddie Vedder Cup and the Mariners will have tough pitching matchups in front of them. CLICK HERE
J.P. CRAWFORD DAY-TO-DAY AFTER MISSING SERIES FINALE: The Mariners longest-tenured position player missed the team’s series finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday with shoulder tightness. CLICK HERE
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE.
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