Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh Create Recent History with Late-Game Heroics on Friday
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The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Friday night at Daikin Park, moving them to 29-21 on the season.
With the win, Seattle regained a 3.5-game lead over Houston in the American League West. They are trying to win their first division title since the 2001 season.
Down 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Julio Rodriguez hit a game-tying double off reliever Bryan Abreu and then Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer which eventually became the game-winner.
And according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com (via Mariners PR), both players created some recent history with their late-game heroics.
Rodríguez now has 11 game-tying RBis in the seventh inning or later since his rookie year in 2022, tied for second-most in MLB in that span with former Mariners slugger Eugenio Suárez. Moreover, Raleigh now has 11 go-ahead homers in the seventh or later in that same span, an MLB-best.
Cal Raleigh went into orbit last night here in Houston, with one of the biggest home runs in recent Mariners memory that came with the appropriate stakes.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 24, 2025
“Be ready to go from the first pitch --because that could be the one that could change the game.”https://t.co/sJSJRBxRQr
Raleigh's late-game home run totals are even more than Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, showing just how special the M's backstop has become. A Platinum Glove winner in 2024, Raleigh is now hitting .258 with 17 homers and 35 RBIs. His 17 homers are tied for the league-lead. He's also carrying a .373 on-base percentage.
The Mariners will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT. Bryan Woo will take the ball for the M's against Framber Valdez in the best matchup of the weekend.
Woo has gone 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA while Valdez is 3-4 with a 3.57.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," as he returns from Chicago. He briefly discusses the loss against the Astros on Thursday, but also talks about how George Kirby looked in his return. Julio Rodriguez was scratched with back stiffness, so how concerned are we? And Brady plays more of his audio from the clubhouse, including his talk with Trent Thornton and Mitch Garver. CLICK HERE:
EPIC STANDOFF: In a National Anthem standoff that lasted nearly 10 minutes, Miles Mastrobuoni and the Mariners appeared victorious. Here's the video. CLICK HERE:
CAL GETS HUGE PRAISE: Dan Wilson and Logan Evans both had great things to say about M's catcher Cal Raleigh after a win on Wednesday, underscoring how important he is to the organization. CLICK HERE:
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