Catcher’s first MLB HR helps Mariners to series win over White Sox

With star catcher Cal Raleigh on the injured list right now, the Seattle Mariners are missing a lot of production from a year ago.

On Wednesday, they received an offensive boost from an unlikely source: backup catcher Jhonny Pereda, who is up with the Mariners due to Raleigh’s absence.

Mariners 5, White Sox 4: Recap | Box score | Standings

The 30-year-old Pereda broke a 2-2 tie with the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the seventh inning, driving a fastball from Chicago left-hander Sean Newcomb out to the visitor’s bullpen at T-Mobile Park for a solo home run. The 392-foot blast came off the bat at 106.7 mph, and was the first MLB home run in Pereda’s career.

Jhonny Pereda's first big-league home run gives us the lead! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/tLUie2iq63

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 20, 2026

The Mariners went on to win 5-4 to take the series, avenging a series loss in Chicago earlier this month. The win improved Seattle’s record to 24-27 before they start a road series in Kansas City on Friday.

Pereda made his big league debut in 2024 with the Miami Marlins, and Wednesday’s game was his 54th MLB appearance. That includes six games with the M’s this year.

Prior to the homer, Pereda had 29 career hits, with only six going for extra bases – all of which were doubles.

“It was so special,” Pereda said of his homer on the Mariners TV broadcast after the game to Ryan Rowland-Smith. “I was waiting for that moment, and I’m so happy right now.”

That’s not to say it was a complete surprise to see Pereda leave the ballpark. He’s actually hit the ball hard several times this season with Seattle, and longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs even predicted that he would hit his first home run on the pregame show Wednesday on Seattle Sports.

Pereda was an offseason acquisition from Minnesota. In addition to the Mariners, Twins and Marlins, he has played for the Athletics. This season, he’s hitting .235 (4 for 17) with a walk for the M’s.

It turned out the Mariners needed insurance after Pereda gave them the lead, and luckily Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena teamed up in the same inning to deliver that. After Rodríguez hit a two-out double, Arozarena crushed his fifth homer of the season to put the M’s up 5-2. The White Sox (25-24) scored a run in each of the eighth and ninth innings to make it a tense win for Seattle.

Matt Brash earned the win on the mound for the Mariners after a scoreless inning in relief on the same day he returned from the injured list.

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