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MLB has never seen a catcher put together the type of season that Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is putting together.
In Seattle’s 9-1 division clinching win on Wednesday, Raleigh hit home runs Nos. 59 and 60 to help the Mariners secure an AL West division title for the first time since 2001.
For the Mariners, it is just their second postseason appearance since the 2001 season. The first came back in 2022 when they fell to the Houston Astros in the ALDS. The last two years have seen late-season pushes come up just short, but this season, Seattle was finally able to put it all together in the second half.
For Raleigh, he built on what is a strong case to win the American League MVP Award over the Yankees’ Aaron Judge. With his 60th home run, Raleigh is now just two behind Judge for the all-time record for an American League player. It will be hard to argue that Raleigh is not more deserving of the award than Judge is.
After clinching the division, the Mariners held the No. 2 seed in the AL and will likely receive a first-round bye during the wild card round. They will then be matched up against the winner of the wild card series between the No. 3 and No. 6 seed.
With a lineup full of sluggers like Raleigh, Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Julio Rodriguez and more, the Mariners have a better than good chance of making a deep run in the playoffs for the first time in 24 years.
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