The Mariners were down three runs with the bases loaded when Cal Raleigh stepped in. He quickly fell behind 0-2, then took a high, inside fastball that nearly hit him. He spun out of the way, his bat flipping into the air, and he caught it cleanly like a baton. The crowd loved it. Moments later, he struck out on a borderline pitch that set him off. Raleigh, who had been catching earlier in the game, argued that the umpire hadn’t been consistent all night. He pointed out several missed calls on similar pitches when he was behind the plate, especially against lefties. He let the umpire hear it, saying, “No way, Chris, no way,” as the frustration boiled over. Surprisingly, Raleigh avoided an ejection. The Seattle manager got tossed instead, stepping in to protect his player.
In the ninth inning, the Mariners had the bases loaded yet again in a tie game. Cal was up once more. This time, he started with a 2-0 count. He didn’t overthink it. He lifted a fastball into the outfield for a walk-off grand slam. Chaos followed. Teammates dumped Gatorade, one bucket totally missing the mark. They tried again and soaked him properly, then crowned him with a bubblegum bucket. Cal didn’t let the earlier strikeout or missed calls derail him. He got his chance and won the game.