
Raleigh hits Nos. 34 and 35 to match Griffey's Mariners record for HRs before All-Star break
The major league leader turned on a fastball from Bailey Falter (6-4) in the first inning and walloped it well past the wall in left. The exit velocity on the two-run shot was logged at 115.2 mph, per Statcast — the hardest-hit ball of his career.
Raleigh topped his previous career high — set last season — in the sixth with a solo shot that chased Falter. The Mariners only mustered one other hit off the left-hander, but it was also a home run courtesy of Randy Arozarena in the fourth inning.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo (8-4) went six innings.
The Pirates came a few inches away from taking a 2–0 lead in the first inning when Oneil Cruz lofted a pop-up toward no man's land in left field. Arozarena made an improbable catch to end the inning and strand two Pittsburgh runners.
Key stat
Woo has worked at least six innings all 17 starts this season.
Up next
Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (4-5, 3.55) was set to start Saturday against RHP Mike Burrows (1-2, 4.15).
___

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
So a salmon fell from the sky before the Mariners' 4th of July game
Usually on the Fourth of July, we're sending fireworks into the sky. But on the morning of the Fourth of July this year, the sky sent a preemptive strike towards the earth – more specifically T-Mobile Park, the home of the Seattle Mariners. In the hours before the Mariners took on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a July 4 afternoon game, something fell from the sky right behind a ROOT Sports crew member: a salmon. Advertisement Where did it come from? According to Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs, who was on the Seattle Sports radio call with Angie Mentink and Gary Hill Jr., it fell out of the grasp of a falcon that was being pursued by an eagle. T-Mobile Park, as you may know, is only a few blocks east of the Puget Sound's Elliott Bay, which is a great place to go fishing if you're a bird of prey. 'The salmon almost landed on this poor guy's head,' Rizzs relayed during the second inning. '… And then seagulls came in and went after the eagle. There was a little battle going up there above the ballpark.' A few minutes later, Mentink shared video on social media of the suddenly-appearing fish at the ballpark, though the angles don't allow us to rule out the possibility that it was really just a strong toss from one of the fishmongers at Pike Place Market. Alright, how many other pop culture, Seattle-specific or America-related references should we get in here? I'm efforting something related to the Monty Python fish-slapping dance, though I think I need to keep workshopping it. Advertisement Oh, OK – we should definitely relate it to another eagle incident from Mariners history, when noted Canadian pitcher James Paxton found himself the landing spot for an eagle during opening day festivities in Minnesota. That just provides a good chance to point out that while eagles are something of an American icon, apparently they're actually more prevalent north of the border. At this point, maybe we need to start a new Fish & Fowl category here at If nothing else, it will give a good spot to post recaps of the Mariners' Salmon Run races.


Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Thommy and Joveljic each score a goal, Pulskamp has 8 saves to help Sporting KC beat Rapids
Associated Press COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Erik Thommy had a goal and an assist, Dejan Joveljic also scored a goal and John Pulskamp had eight saves on Friday night to help Sporting Kansas City beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1. Kansas City (6-10-5) beat the Rapids on the road for the first time since a 3-2 victory on March 29, 2014. Sporting is 6-20-13 all time in road games against Colorado. The Rapids (7-9-5) had 62% possession and outshot Kansas City 25-5. Thommy stole a misplayed pass played by goalkeeper Nico Hansen and rolled a pass to Joveljic at the left corner of the 6-yard box for a first-touch finish to open the scoring in the fourth minute. Thommy won a ball from Keegan Rosenberry at the edge of the attacking third, raced toward goal before he cut inside and slipped a low shot from just outside the penalty box inside the right post to make it 2-0 in the 53rd. The 30-year-old Thommy, who scored a goal in a 1-1 tie with Real Salt Lake on Saturday, has a goal in back-to-back games for the first time this season and the second time in his career. Joveljic has 12 goals this season — third most in MLS. The 25-year-old forward scored a career-high 15 goals and helped the LA Galaxy to an MLS Cup championship last season. Rafael Navarro converted from the penalty spot in the 89th minute for the Rapids. The 25-year-old forward has scored a goal in back-to-back games. ___ AP soccer: recommended


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Cal Raleigh ties Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners record for home runs before All-Star break with 35
SEATTLE — On the spot, Cal Raleigh compiled a laundry list of players he would consider for a Mount Rushmore of Seattle Mariners following their 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday. Ichiro was one of the first names off the board, followed by the likes of stud starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson. When identifying who is the face of the Mariners, though, Raleigh immediately landed on Ken Griffey Jr., who he tied for the franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break with 35 with a pair of blasts. Advertisement 'To be mentioned with that name, somebody that's just iconic, a legend, first ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,' Raleigh said. 'Trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.' From Raleigh's perspective, Griffey would have 'smashed' the major league home run record rather than come up 132 short of Barry Bonds if not for injuries. Thankfully for Raleigh's sake, that admiration hasn't been reserved for the public eye. Whenever Griffey finds himself back in Seattle, which was the case when FIFA Club World Cup games were taking place at Lumen Field, Raleigh has enjoyed his chats with 'The Kid.' Advertisement 'It's always fun to have him around the clubhouse to just talk to him a little bit and figure out how he went about his business,' Raleigh said. 'So, I've talked to him on the phone once or twice as well. So, he's a good one. He's one of the best of all-time. It's hard to beat talking to somebody like that.' It's also hard to find many comparable runs to what Raleigh — who will participate in the Home Run Derby — is in the midst of, and what Griffey accomplished ahead of the 1998 All-Star break. Manager Dan Wilson, who was a teammate of Griffey's in 1998, is among the few folks who can truly put Raleigh's fast start to 2025 in perspective. 'It's remarkable. It feels like he hits a home run every game, that's what it feels like,' Wilson said. 'And I can remember feeling it as a player, that (Griffey) just felt like he hit a home run every day. Again, that's the consistency that (Raleigh) has shown. It hasn't been a streak where he has hit a bunch of home runs in a short amount of time. It's been kind of 10 per month.' Advertisement 3 Cal Raleigh, belting a two-run homer in the first inning, hit his 34th and 35th homers in the Mariners' 6-0 win over the Pirates on July 4, 2025. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images To Wilson's point, Raleigh has been remarkably consistent. He walloped nine home runs in April, 12 in May and 11 more in June. Griffey's figures were a tad more mercurial, but just barely (10 in April, eight in May, 14 in June). Advertisement All told, the 28-year-old Raleigh has more than lived up to the early stages of his six-year, $105 million contract extension, which he signed just ahead of the 2025 season. 3 Cal Raleigh celebrates with teammates after belting a solo homer in the sixth inning of the Mariners' victory over the Pirates. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Not only has Raleigh set a career high for home runs, but he's on track to post new marks for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Raleigh chalked those developments up to his maturing a little over halfway into his fourth full major league season. 'I have the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark,' Raleigh said. 'I mean, it's part of my game and I'm a strong guy. It's learning how to hone it in and take your hits when maybe you're not getting those pitches in the heart of the plate.' 3 Cal Raleigh holds up the trident and celebrates with the fans after the Mariners' win over the Pirates. Getty Images Such an approach is all well and good, but the results have been starkly different. Raleigh has racked up just 36 singles, or one more than his home run total. Advertisement Suffice to say, Raleigh's offensive output has justified every dollar the Mariners have sent his way so far, and then some. 'Want to make sure I'm doing everything I can every single day to earn that paycheck and earn what they gave me,' Raleigh said. 'But it's a lot more than just that. It's being a leader, doing things in the clubhouse and making sure you're ready to go every single day.'