TORONTO — Only five days had passed since Cal Raleigh’s last home run, but for these Seattle Mariners, it felt like an eternity.
That made sense, considering the circumstances. Quite a bit transpired between Raleigh’s blast in ALDS Game 3 on Tuesday in Detroit and his game-tying big fly in Seattle’s 3-1 ALCS Game 1 win on Sunday in Toronto.
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Here’s an exhausting, inexhaustive list.
The Mariners jumped to an early lead in ALDS Game 4, wasted that golden opportunity with an untimely bullpen implosion, flew home to Seattle, participated in one of the wonkiest, most unforgettable playoff games this century, drank some beers, sprayed some Champagne, basked in the joy of a city in revelry, caught a few hours of precious shuteye, located their passports, endured a lengthy flight delay caused by a mechanical issue on the team charter, jetted across the continent and readied themselves to compete for a trip to the World Series.
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And while the entire experience has been draining for everybody in navy and teal, nobody has shouldered more of the load — physical and emotional — than Raleigh. He is, of course, the de facto leader of this bunch, the heart, soul and cushioned backside of the 2025 Seattle Mariners. The MVP contender caught all 15 innings of that Game 5 thrill ride, rising from and lowering into his squat before and after all 209 pitches from Mariners’ arms. The Big Dumper’s lower half, despite its heralded girth, was surely sore and achy the next day.
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“The mental part of it is definitely more exhausting than the physical,” Raleigh said on Saturday’s off day. “Obviously, you’re physically tired, but mentally, having to deal with new pitchers and trying to face guys six, seven, eight times — whatever amount it was — it gets to be tough.”
But on Sunday in Toronto, Raleigh showed absolutely no signs of weariness.
“If he is tired, he never says anything about it, that’s for sure,” Mariners pitcher Emerson Hancock told Yahoo Sports after the game. “He shows up every day, gets his work in, and he’s ready to rock and roll.”
Raleigh, unsurprisingly, was Seattle’s driving force once again in Game 1 of the ALCS.
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His sixth-inning, two-out laser tied the score at one, jolting awake a Seattle offense that looked understandably tired in the early going. It also kept the inning alive, allowing the Mariners to score again two batters later on an RBI single from Jorge Polanco, the hero of Game 5.
But Raleigh’s jack was a vintage Big Dumper swing, controlled but powerful. The long ball, his 62nd of the year, was Seattle’s first since Raleigh went yard way back in the ninth inning of ALDS Game 3. It was another enormous moment in a season full of them.
“I don’t want to say we feel accustomed to it, because obviously it’s special, but I think it’s just what he expects of himself,” Mariners starter Brian Woo told Yahoo Sports afterward. “So yeah, you know, we’re not surprised.”
“We’ve seen Cal do that so often in a big situation there to get us back tied,” Mariners skipper Dan Wilson said in his postgame media conference. “I thought that was a big lift in terms of our dugout and getting us back in it.”
Raleigh also got the M’s going with a single in the top of the first, but Jays starter Kevin Gausman was able to work out of trouble. Gausman proceeded to retire the next 15 Mariners he faced. Seattle hitters were perplexed by the right-hander’s trademark splitter, and it seemed like Gausman was in line to deliver a legendary performance in front of a hopping home crowd.
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As it turned out, the only run support the lanky right received came on the very first pitch seen by a Blue Jay on the night: a leadoff tank from DH George Springer that sent Rogers Centre into a frenzy. After that blemish — Springer’s 21st career postseason tater — Mariners starter Bryce Miller also cruised through six relatively uneventful innings.
Miller, forced into a start on short rest after Seattle used multiple starters in relief during the ALDS clincher, was outstanding, scattering three walks and just one additional base hit as he shut down a Toronto offense that was firing on all cylinders last round against the New York Yankees. The 27-year-old righty, who burst onto the scene last season, had an uneven, injury-impacted 2025, scuffling to a 5.68 ERA across 18 starts. No qualified pitcher in baseball surrendered a higher average exit velocity than Miller this season. But he seems to have rediscovered his good stuff at just the right time, first with a solid showing in ALDS Game 4 and now with a masterful outing in ALCS Game 1.
“Really give Bryce credit — going on short rest and going six innings like that. It was really huge, especially for our bullpen, who threw a lot of pitches the other day,” Raleigh gushed afterward.
But Seattle’s bullpen — or, at least, the relievers who threw in Game 1 — didn’t seem particularly impacted by the heavy workload. Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andres Muñoz combined to twirl three perfect innings, finishing Miller’s gem and propelling the Mariners to an unlikely and invigorating 1-0 lead in this ALCS.
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On Monday in Game 2, Seattle will turn to Logan Gilbert, fresh off a seven-strikeout, zero-walk masterpiece in ALDS Game 3. He’ll go up against Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage, who baffled the Yankees into oblivion in his fourth career big-league start last week.
Raleigh, certainly, will have an impact on the evenings of both men.