IPL 2026: Tilak Varmaâs return to form offers Mumbai Indians a way forward
Tilak Varma's maiden IPL century propels Mumbai Indians to a 99-run win over Gujarat Titans.
Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is struggling with a .177 batting average despite a strong 2025 season. The Mariners are currently fourth in the AL West with a 10-15 record.
SEATTLE (AP) â Seattle Mariners switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh has used the same swing since he was nine years old.
Raleighâs tried and true stroke worked out quite well for him during the 2025 season, one in which he finished runner-up for American League MVP honors and set the single-season record for home runs by a catcher with 60. The 29-year-oldâs magnificent season helped the Mariners come within one win of their first World Series berth, and set sky-high expectations heading into 2026.
âI know the swing is good,â Raleigh said. âReally just trying to trust the approach, trust the plan, commit to it every single pitch.â
Like many of his Mariners teammates, though, Raleigh hasnât hit as well as he would like amid Seattleâs 10-15 start, which includes Tuesday nightâs 5-2 loss to the Athletics. Even with a solo home run and a single in the Marinersâ latest defeat, Raleigh is hitting just .177 with a .538 OPS, his lowest since his rookie season.
Twenty-five games into the 2026 season, the Mariners find themselves in fourth place in the AL West, slotted ahead of only the bottom-feeding Houston Astros, who are tied for the most losses in major league baseball at 9-16.
First baseman Josh Naylor, who broke out of his slump last week with two home runs, still has a batting average below the Mendoza line. Julio RodrĂguez has heated up considerably the last few weeks, but isnât hitting for power in a fashion that the Mariners have grown accustomed to.
Seattle entered Tuesdayâs game with 23 home runs as a team, good for 15th in the majors, yet only two teams have lower collective batting averages than their .218. The Mariners have taken their walks, but they arenât driving runners in with clutch hits or home runs.
âI think weâre getting guys on base at a good rate for the most part. I see that,â Raleigh said. âBut, I think Iâm guilty of this too â you get in those big spots and those big moments and each guy wants to do it.â
Cal Raleigh is hitting .177 with a .538 OPS in the 2026 season.
The Mariners finished one win shy of their first World Series berth and Raleigh was the runner-up for the American League MVP with 60 home runs.
The Mariners are currently in fourth place in the AL West with a record of 10-15.
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Seattle wonât pull itself out of its season-opening quagmire with one win, or one series. It learned that after sweeping the Astros before dropping six of its next eight games.
Even so, Raleigh doesnât think he is putting too much pressure on himself after a banner year, nor is anybody else.
âWe all know that we want to be doing better than we are,â Raleigh said. âBut at the same time, itâs 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.â
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb