Cal Raleigh was one of the special players for the Seattle Mariners during the ALCS, helping his team in every way he could. However, after the Game 7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, he could do nothing more than admit that falling short of the World Series was a “failure.”
Raleigh’s message was blunt: “I hate to use the word failure, but it’s a failure.” He emphasized that the team had high hopes of taking the Mariners to their first major championship series. “We expected to get to the World Series and win the World Series.”
Raleigh delivered his message through tears, stating, “It just s—-,” while admitting that they not only wanted to reach the World Series but win it as well, adding, “…that’s what the bar is and the standard is. And that’s what we want to hold ourselves accountable to.”
Raleigh is now the American League single-season home run king, combining regular and postseason totals. His 65 home runs in the 2025 campaign surpassed the previous AL record of 64, set by Aaron Judge in 2022. This historic achievement solidifies Raleigh’s place atop the league’s record books for power hitting.
Good season for the Mariners and Raleigh
It was an incredible run for Raleigh and the Mariners this season. Raleigh capped his historic year by breaking Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise record for single-season home runs, while the team, for the first time since 2001, won the AL West. The Mariners came within just one game of leading Seattle to its first-ever World Series appearance.
The Mariners’ season came to an abrupt, frustrating end in a six-pitch at-bat where Julio Rodríguez, up 2-0, did not see a single strike. With power hitter Raleigh looming on deck, the final pitch secured the outcome for the Blue Jays.