Cal Raleigh Hits Career-High 3 Homers in Mariners' 9-2 Win Over Phillies

Cal Raleigh led the Seattle Mariners to a decisive 9-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night by hitting a career-high three home runs at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The Mariners ended the Phillies' nine-game winning streak with a powerful offensive display, highlighting Raleigh's breakout performance after a challenging season.

Raleigh opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning and followed it with a solo shot in the fifth inning and another solo homer in the seventh.

He became the first Mariners player to hit three home runs in a single game at T-Mobile Park and only the 13th in franchise history to achieve the feat.

“I had never done that before — at any level. So, hard to fathom, and it was a fun night,” Raleigh said.

Raleigh's night helped raise his batting average from .159 to .167, breaking a prolonged slump that saw his strikeout rate at 31.2% before the game.

“I’ve been feeling better in the box,” Raleigh said. “Physically, trying to just get my hands back sooner and I feel like I’ve done a better job of that. And then mentally, it’s just been about that belief and just having that hope and that optimism every single day. Not getting too down, not getting too up and, you know, trying to just be ready and prepared for the game.”

Raleigh's homers came against Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler and reliever Chase Shugart, with the back-to-back homers in the fifth inning by Raleigh and teammate Cole Young prompting Wheeler's exit.

“Finding the barrel more often, taking his walks more often, swinging at better pitches more often. Tonight was just a combination of all of that again,” said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who was also a catcher and the only other Mariners catcher to hit three homers in a game back in April 1996.

Wilson praised Raleigh’s performance and work ethic, highlighting the significance of his left-handed power display.

Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert earned the win, pitching five innings and allowing two runs with five strikeouts. Gilbert expressed optimism about Raleigh's resurgence.

“That’s just huge I think for confidence and for (getting) rolling,” Gilbert said. “You know how this team does when he gets hot and gets rolling, so I think we’re in a good spot.”