Cal Raleigh leads the Mariners to series opening win against Rockies
Mariners fans have been holding their breath waiting on the newest call-up, Cal Raleigh, to get his first hit for the big league club. He came through in a big way against the Rockies in the series opener, doing more than just swatting his first hit.
It started off in the 4th inning when he hit a little flare to center field. We all know the ball carries a bit more in Colorado, and it’s a good thing they were back to using the Humidor after the home run derby, or else this ball would’ve been caught.
Mariners Cal Raleigh was off the schneid, and had his first major league hit.
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1417660789880594434?s=20
I guess we could even go back a bit. It wasn’t just that Raleigh was 0-12, it’s that he hadn’t been on base either. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance. Not a bad way to start the day. A walk, and then your first major league hit. Do you know what could make it even better? A nice 2-run double into the gap to start a big-time rally in the 6th inning.
This would lead to a 2-run home run later in the inning by Dylan Moore, and the Mariners would be up 4-2, and never look back. Cal Raleigh had his first, real big-league day, and Mariners fans everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. You could see the excitement and job on Raleigh’s face as well after getting that first hit.
Ty France would pull a Raleigh in the 7th, knocking in a 2-run double of his own to make it 6-2. Overshadowed a bit by the offense was the fact that Marco Gonzalez looked a lot like the pitcher we were expecting going into this season. Marco would go five innings, giving up just two runs, earning his first win since April 15th!
It was a nice win for the Mariners and guarantees them at least a split in Colorado. They’ll start the finale in the rare early Wednesday game for the Mariners, as Keynan Middleton will take the mound against Austin Gomber at 12:10 PT.