Cal Raleigh picked up the first — and maybe most obvious — award in recognition of his record-setting season Friday night.
The unknown is how many more he’ll collect over the next couple of months.
Raleigh was voted the Mariners player of the year by the Seattle chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Not surprisingly, Raleigh was a unanimous selection in a season where he’s rewritten the franchise and major-league record books for home runs by a switch-hitting catcher, while still starting 119 games behind the plate, including Friday night’s series opener against the Dodgers.
At the plate, Raleigh entered Friday with 60 homers, one of just seven players in baseball history to reach the 60-homer mark and the only non-New York Yankees player to accomplish it in the American League.
Bryan Woo was nearly a unanimous selection in being voted the pitcher of the year. Woo will not pitch this weekend as he recovers from a minor pectoral strain but could be in line to start at some point during the American League Division Series. Woo went 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA in 30 starts. He pitched a career-high 186 2/3 innings, finished with 198 strikeouts and had a 0.927 WHIP.
Woo was an All-Star selection for the first time in his young career.
The final award handed out took on a new name this year. The local BBWAA chapter voted to change the name of the award that was previously known at the “Unsung Hero” award. It will now be known as the Larry Stone Good Guy Award” going forward. The award is named in recognition of former Seattle Times baseball writer and columnist and past national BBWAA president Larry Stone, who retired after the 2023 season, and is intended to recognize a player whose contributions spill out beyond the field and include work in the community and interactions with the media.
The first “Larry Stone Good Guy Award” recipient was closer Andrés Muñoz. On the field, Muñoz has recorded a career-high 38 saves and struck out 83 batters in 61 1/3 innings pitched. Off the field, Muñoz garnered attention this season for the extensive work he’s done partnering with the Seattle Area Feline Rescue, a nonprofit that takes in homeless cats and kittens and works to find them homes. Last year, the rescue took in nearly 1,700 cats and kittens.
Muñoz has also readily been available to media in the clubhouse.
Rotation for the weekend
The Mariners will go with two of their regular starters on their normal turns in the rotation to close out the regular season
Logan Gilbert will make his final start of the season Saturday, while Bryce Miller will get the start in the finale Sunday. Gilbert’s start will be his 25th of the season, his fewest since his rookie season of 2021 when he made 24 starts. He’ll also finish with his fewest innings pitched since that rookie season, a year after Gilbert led all of baseball with 208 2/3 innings pitched.
Gilbert allowed one earned run over six innings in his start Sunday in Houston
Miller missed time with elbow troubles and has a 5.53 ERA for the season in his 17 starts. But Miller has allowed three earned runs or less in four of his last five starts going into the finale. Miller seems likely to be an option to pitch out of the bullpen at least for the opening round of the postseason.
Watch parties
The Mariners will host watch parties at T-Mobile Park for Game 3 and if necessary Game 4 of the American League Division Series. Details are still to come but the team said tickets will be general admission and cost $15, parking will cost $10 in the Mariners garage and gates will open one hour before first pitch.
Game 3 will be Tuesday, Oct. 7, and Game 4, if necessary, will be Wednesday, Oct. 8.
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