Mariners' Harry Ford Sends Cal Raleigh Message After Division-Tying Walk-Off

Learning from one of the very best

Sep 11, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Harry Ford (5) celebrates after the Mariners defeated the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners already had one catcher making a huge impact in their quest for a division title, but on Thursday night, another stepped up.

Mariners 22-year-old rookie and longtime top prospect Harry Ford is still third on the catching depth chart despite earning a September call-up. He's only been granted four plate appearances in his brief time in the majors. He sure made the fourth one count, though.

Facing Los Angeles Angels reliever Sammy Peralta in the bottom of the 12th inning, Ford lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to hand the Mariners a 7-6 win, tying them for first place with the Houston Astros in the immensely competitive American League West.

Harry Ford shows love for Cal Raleigh

Sep 11, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) fields a bunted ball during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Staying ready to contribute in big moments like that 12th-inning at-bat can't be easy for Ford. But he gave credit after the game to starting catcher and Most Valuable Player candidate Cal Raleigh for showing him the ropes during his first two weeks as a big-leaguer.

“I learn every day, watching and and just being around them,” Ford said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “It's really cool seeing just how differently we play when we're trying to win something, trying to make a push. So I think it's been really valuable watching Cal (Raleigh) every day catch and learn a lot from him.”

It's not often a player records his first big-league walk-off before his first big-league hit, but that's precisely what Ford did Thursday. He won't get any starts over Raleigh or Mitch Garver unless the games are meaningless for the playoff standings, but he could find himself in more pinch-hit situations moving forward.

Raleigh, of course, leads Major League Baseball with 53 home runs this season, and his .923 OPS is the seventh-best among all hitters. That creates a playing time conundrum for Ford moving forward, but the youngster knows if he takes advantage of his opportunities, he'll carve out a role for himself.

Will that role be in Seattle or another city? That could be one of the questions of the offseason for these Mariners. But as long as Ford is on the roster now, the Mariners are lucky to be able to call upon him when the bench is empty.

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