SEATTLE (AP) — Only fitting it was Cal Raleigh who catapulted the Seattle Mariners to their first AL West championship in 24 years Wednesday night.
The switch-hitting catcher launched two more homers to give him a major league-best 60 this season, and the streaking Mariners clinched the fourth division crown in the franchise’s 49-year history with a 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
“To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, mom and dad, obviously, was really cool,” Raleigh said.
The lone big league team that’s never been to a World Series, Seattle last won the AL West in 2001 when it set an American League record with 116 wins — thanks in large part to a prolific rookie season from new Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
But similar to that team, winning the division this year required more than a record-setting performance from one player. In addition to Raleigh, the 2025 Mariners had four other All-Stars: outfielders Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez, as well as right-hander Bryan Woo and closer Andrés Muñoz.
“Really proud of the guys here,” Raleigh said. “It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this, and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”
Even with that All-Star quintet, the Mariners entered the mid-summer break just six games over. 500, a mark that held prior to the July 31 trade deadline. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto felt compelled to add to a team that entered August 4 1/2 games back of the division lead, and did so in a meaningful way.
The Mariners acquired slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez and multi-talented first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and getting ahold of both has proven to be quite the shrewd move. Since the deadline, the Mariners have gone 31-17, won 16 of their last 17 and clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday night thanks to some late-game heroics from Naylor.
It hasn’t just been a potent Mariners lineup — one which entered Wednesday’s game with the third-most homers in the majors — that has powered the club back to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Despite injuries to the likes of right-handed starters George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Logan Evans and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners’ rotation has held together. Veteran right-hander Luis Castillo has been steady and available all season, while Woo broke out in a big way during his first All-Star campaign.
“When you look at this team, the depth of our lineup, the depth of our pitching, the bullpen,” manager Dan Wilson said, “we’ve got incredible guys here.”
Woo leads all Seattle pitchers in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and Wins Above Replacement. However, he won’t take his next turn in the rotation, as his scheduled Thursday night start against the Rockies is being skipped due to pectoral tightness, Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday.
Having a healthy Woo for the postseason would go a long way for the Mariners, who are closing in on a first-round bye.
Of course, it won’t be easy for the Mariners in October. Still looking for its first pennant, the franchise has never made it further than the AL Championship Series in five postseason appearances.
But as Seattle has proven all season, it is hardly a one-dimensional club, even if Raleigh has drawn ample headlines with his propensity for the longball. Instead, it’s a deep team with plenty of camaraderie and a handful of starting pitchers who would be aces on other teams.
“We care about each other, truly,” Rodríguez said. “We would die for each other every single day. It means a lot for a team to be able to be like that.”
Only time will tell if this Seattle squad has what it takes to write a new chapter, and go further in the postseason than any previous Mariners team.
“I think we’re playing our best baseball right now, and that’s the teams you see win it all,” Gilbert said. “So, I think we’ve got a chance.”
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