Cal Raleigh's First Blast Ends the Wait, But Rangers Still Win the Night
It finally happened. After watching 10 straight games without a homer, Cal Raleigh stepped up to the plate Monday night in Arlington and reminded everyone why he led the entire majors with 60 home runs last season. In the first inning against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, Raleigh pulled one deep to right field to break through the drought, but it wasn't enough as the Rangers walked away with a 2-1 victory.
A Battle at the Plate Pays Off
This wasn't some quick swing and miss. Raleigh fouled off six pitches with two strikes before connecting on a 99 mph fastball in what turned into a grueling 12-pitch at-bat. When you're going up against a future Hall of Famer like deGrom, you take your opportunities when they come, and Raleigh made it count. For context, his longest power drought last season was only eight games, so ten straight without going yard had to be eating at him.
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Don't let one big swing fool you though. Raleigh finished the night 1-for-3 and is currently hitting just .146 on the season. That's rough, especially early when every at-bat matters and you're trying to establish confidence. He came close to joining the homer club on Saturday against the Angels too, but Jo Adell tracked one down above the wall in the first inning. That was the first of three homers Adell prevented that game.
The Mariners have work to do, and so does their star catcher. One moonshot doesn't erase the slow start, but it's a start. Next time the M's take the field, Raleigh will be looking to build on this moment instead of watching another game slip away.
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