Raleigh Powers Three Homers as Mariners Rout Phillies
Raleigh Powers Three Homers as Mariners Rout Phillies
Cal Raleigh hit three home runs Monday night, the first three-homer game of his career, as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-2. The switch-hitting catcher went 3 for 3 with a walk, driving in runs during a five-run first inning and adding two more homers later in the game.
Raleigh opened the scoring with a two-run shot off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler during Seattle's first-inning outburst, then led off the fifth with another homer against Wheeler. He closed out his night with a solo home run in the seventh off reliever Chase Shugart. The three-homer performance was also Raleigh's first multi-homer game of the season. challenger cherbourg
The outburst pushed Raleigh's home run total to 17 this season, though his batting average remains low at .167, up from .159 before the game. Raleigh finished as runner-up for the American League MVP award last season, when he led all of Major League Baseball with 60 home runs and drove in 125 runs.
Monday's performance marked a rare offensive eruption for Raleigh during a season in which his power numbers have coexisted with a persistently low batting average. The three-homer night against Wheeler, one of the National League's top starters, offers a notable data point as Seattle continues its season and Raleigh looks to build on last year's breakout campaign.
