Raleigh Cap
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB.
Inside out and backwards. Turned up like a shark fin. Defined as sacrificing a small piece of one’s dignity in exchange for favorable luck, the Rally Cap has been around for as long as baseball has been played. Cal Raleigh had Mariners fans wearing their rally caps on Sunday afternoon as he smashed a pair of home runs to lift the Seattle squad to a road win at Toronto.
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB.
Raleigh started the day 0-for-2 but came up clutch in the late innings. Trailing 8-5 in the eighth inning, Raleigh took a 2-1 sinker from Anthony Bass deep over the right field wall to cut into the Blue Jays’ advantage. After the Mariners tied the game in the ninth, Raleigh stepped to the plate again in the 10th inning, this time smashing a hanging slider for another two-run shot to give Seattle a 10-8 lead.
With his two hits on Sunday, Raleigh raised his average to .232 and has hit three bombs in three games at the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre in Toronto. This coming week, Seattle plays three at home and has three more at Oakland, both on the opposite end of the spectrum from a ballpark factor standpoint. Raleigh has the raw power to hit it out at any stadium, but playing half his games in Seattle isn’t helpful.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Josh Jung (TEX): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB.
Jung jump-started the Rangers’ offense with a first-inning grand slam off of Nestor Cortes. Jung took a sweeping slider the opposite way to the right field bleachers, the first of four home runs lifted by the Texas offense on Sunday. Jung added a double, an RBI walk and three total runs scored as the Rangers unceremoniously ushered the Yankees out of Arlington, 15-2.
Taylor Walls (TB): 4-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB.
Walls had a career day, recording four hits including a home run and two stolen bases. He opened the day with a single and added a fourth-inning blast, dropping the barrel on a down-and-in fastball to take Mike Clevinger deep. He added another pair of singles and swiped two bags as the Rays fell to the White Sox in a wild game in the Windy City.
Andrew Vaughn (CWS): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
Speaking of the Windy City, Andrew Vaughn walked the game off for Chicago, blasting a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to break a 9-9 tie and cap a SEVEN-RUN ninth inning as the White Sox defeated the Rays, 12-9. Vaughn golfed a low slider out to right-center, sending it 407 feet for the game-winner. The walk-off victory snapped a 10-game losing skid, giving the ChiSox their first win since April 18.
C.J. Cron (COL): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Cron highlighted a Rockies offense that tagged Arizona pitchers for 12 runs on 16 hits on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field. Cron led off the second inning with a double and came around to score later in the inning. In the third, Cron blasted a 434 foot three-run shot to left-center, taking a first pitch cutter deep. Cron added an RBI single later in the game as the Rockies rolled the Diamondbacks, 12-4.
Jonah Heim (TEX): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Heim continued his hot start to the season with a solid day from the plate as the Rangers shellacked the Yankees. In the fourth inning, Heim led off with a double to left but was stranded on second. In the fifth, he made sure that he wouldn’t be stranded on the bases again, smashing a 1-0 sinker to the right-center field bleachers for the Rangers’ third home run of the inning. Heim added a two-run double in the sixth before giving way to a pinch hitter later in the game. Heim leads all catchers in the MLB with 22 RBI this season while batting .278 with 16 runs scored and five home runs.
Byron Buxton (MIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
A healthy Byron Buxton is a thing of beauty. Enjoy it while it lasts! Buxton lifted his fourth home run in the last five days, part of a two-hit day as the Twins defeated the Royals, 8-4. Now with seven home runs in just 29 games, Buxton is on pace for 35 home runs for the year… if he stays on the field.
Taylor Trammell (SEA): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
Say it with your chest! Trammell announced his return to the Mariners’ lineup with authority, smashing a grand slam off a Chris Bassitt changeup in the first inning. Trammell opened his 2023 campaign with the best possible outcome, putting Seattle in front 4-0 in the first. The Mariners needed more than that to take down the Blue Jays but got it done in extras. Trammell steps into a strong-side platoon situation in the Seattle outfield, spelling right-handed bat A.J. Pollock.
Bo Bichette (TOR): 2-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
After the Blue Jays fell behind, 4-0 in the first, Bichette helped them regain the lead just an inning later. With two on and two out, Bichette launched a 1-0 changeup 460 feet to straightaway center for a three-run bomb, his sixth of the season. He added a sixth inning single and scored another run but the Jays came up short, falling to the Mariners 10-8 in 10 innings in the series finale.
Brent Rooker (OAK): 2-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
In his first taste of regular at-bats, Rooker just continues to mash. He smacked his ninth home run of the season and his third in four games on Sunday afternoon, taking a Nick Lodolo curveball deep over the left field fence. Rooker added a single and a sacrifice fly as the Athletics earned a walk-off victory over the Reds.
Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)