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Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh hits a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh jogs the bases after hitting a grand slam as Cincinnati Reds second baseman Edwin Arroyo (2) looks on during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh celebrates in the dugout after hitting a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh lifts the trident to celebrate a win over the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, right, greets third base coach Carlos Cardoza (57) as he jogs the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 On paper, the move made plenty of sense.<\/p>\n
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The Cincinnati Reds trailed the Seattle Mariners 3-0 in the seventh inning and were on the verge of watching their deficit grow. The Mariners had runners at second and third, so Reds manager Terry Francona ordered lefty Caleb Ferguson to intentionally walk Dominic Canzone to load the bases.<\/p>\n
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That brought up Cal Raleigh, last year\u2019s AL MVP runner-up. The slumping catcher is hitting just .163 this season, but he pounced on the first pitch and turned on a hanging breaking ball, sending it 408 feet into the left-field bleachers to break open the game in an 8-0 victory.<\/p>\n
Francona stood by his decision, and said he would make the same one again every time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what Raleigh\u2019s hitting and, he still worries me,\u201d the veteran skipper said with a laugh. \u201cBut, I thought that was our best chance to have them not score. We could play the infield double-play depth. And, the worst possible outcome happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raleigh, meanwhile, was surprised to see Canzone intentionally walked. But, to Francona\u2019s point, Raleigh has struggled mightily in 2026.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A year removed from hitting 60 home runs, Raleigh has only 10, including what was his sixth career grand slam. He entered Monday with just 17 extra-base hits. The left-handed-hitting Canzone, meanwhile, has a .993 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, albeit across only 24 at-bats.<\/p>\n Raleigh went 0 for 10 in the Mariners\u2019 first series after the All-Star break, but felt confident in his process going into Monday night. To have his efforts culminate with such a big swing wasn\u2019t lost on Raleigh, who appreciated his teammates\u2019 raucous celebration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot,\u201d Raleigh said. \u201cI feel like this group\u2019s in a good spot now. \u2026 They\u2019ve been very good, very positive and lots of energy in the dugout, and you can feel it. I feel really good about where we\u2019re heading.\u201d<\/p>\n Raleigh admitted it\u2019s been a frustrating season not just for him, but the rest of the Mariners, too. Seattle entered 2026 with lofty expectations after one of the best years in franchise history, when the Mariners lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games in the American League Championship Series.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Despite hovering around .500 all season, Seattle (51-50) moved a half-game ahead of Texas (50-50) atop the AL West. If the Mariners are to build upon their slim lead in the division, having Raleigh more closely resemble his 2025 form would go a long way.<\/p>\n But even after driving in five runs in the Mariners\u2019 third straight victory, Raleigh was in no mood to bask in his glory. Rather, he was most interested in moving forward, and building upon the team\u2019s latest string of success.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes (you) can start to feel sorry for yourself or get a little frustrated,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, understanding that there\u2019s still a lot of season left, and we\u2019re still in the hunt of it, and we still have a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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