Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is quite literally striking fear into opposing managers.
On Friday, Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford led off the top of the third inning with a single and Julio Rodriguez followed it up with a double to give Seattle runners on second and third with Raleigh and his MLB-leading 32 home runs stepping up to the plate. Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux emerged from the dugout to have a discussion with starter Nathan Eovaldi, and Texas then opted to intentionally walk Raleigh to load the bases with no one out.
While Texas’s decision also set the club up for the double play, it was still the ultimate sign of respect towards baseball’s home run leader.
Rangers intentionally walked Cal Raleigh to load the bases with nobody out in the 3rd inning pic.twitter.com/yvmTCPpBpc
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 28, 2025
The Mariners scored a run when second baseman Jorge Polanco grounded into a fielder’s choice, then another when outfielder Randy Arozarena hit a sacrifice fly to left field. One could certainly argue that the damage had been limited.
But it wasn’t the last time that Raleigh’s power would force the Rangers into a tough decision. Just an inning later, Texas skipper Bruce Bochy faced a similar predicament, though this time there were two outs in the inning and the Mariners had two base runners with Raleigh again walking up to the batter’s box.
And again, the Rangers intentionally walked the Mariners’ backstop. Polanco grounded out to short and the Rangers emerged out of the top of the fourth having only surrendered a run.
It’s hard to argue with the strategy, especially given how well Raleigh has been swinging the bat. He has belted 10 home runs in June, giving him a league-leading 32 for the season. Not only did Raleigh break Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Bench’s record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break (28), but he is also on pace to break Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez’s record for the most home runs by a catcher in a season (48).
Oh, and Raleigh is also pacing to break the American League single-season home run record of 62 home runs, set by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in 2022.
Can you blame the Rangers for not wanting to pitch to him with runners in scoring position?
