After comments, Cal Raleigh keys Mariners to walkoff win

Cal Raleigh followed up his words by letting his bat do the talking, having a big day at the plate and scoring the winning run in the Seattle Mariners’ 5-4 win over the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon that salvaged the final game of a three-game series.

Recap: Naylor delivers walkoff as Mariners beat A’s, avoid sweep

Raleigh hit a home run for the third day in a row and added a key double in a go-ahead rally in the seventh inning.

Boom. Another one. pic.twitter.com/QMoH6Mlalb

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 22, 2026

Then after the Mariners couldn’t hold their 4-3 lead in the ninth inning, Raleigh started a rally with a two-out single and scored a few batters later on a walkoff RBI hit by Josh Naylor.

THAT'S OUR GUY!!!! pic.twitter.com/gduDhoH9wR

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 22, 2026

Raleigh’s homer in the third inning cut an Athletics lead to 3-2. His double came in the seventh inning and advanced J.P. Crawford to third base. Crawford would score on an RBI fielder’s choice in the following plate appearance by Julio Rodríguez, giving the Mariners a 4-3 advantage.

MLB insider: Seattle Mariners have least to fix of teams starting slow

It was a 3-for-5 day at the plate came for Raleigh, and it came after he shared optimistic comments about the scuffling M’s following a 5-2 loss Tuesday night.

“We all know that we want to be doing better than we are,” Raleigh said. “But at the same time, it’s not going to help anybody in this room by trying to press and go out there and try to do more and try to be the guy. … I have faith in this group.”

More: Raleigh has ‘faith’ scuffling M’s can turn season around

It’s been a slow start for the Mariners, who have high expectations after reaching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2025. They improved to 11-15 on the season with Wednesday’s win.

Raleigh has also struggled to get going this year on the heels of his record-setting 60-homer season last year, but he’s showing signs of improvement. He moved into a tie for the team lead with his fifth homer of the year on Wednesday, and has raised his average by 53 points to .198 and OPS by 175 points to .667 over his last nine games.

The Mariners cut their deficit behind the American League West-leading Athletics (13-12) to 2 1/2 games with Wednesday’s win.

The Mariners are off Thursday, then begin a road trip at 5:15 p.m. Friday against the surprising St. Louis Cardinals (14-10). Mariners Radio Network coverage will begin with the pregame show at 4 p.m. Friday on Seattle Sports.

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