Cal Raleigh Scott Servais Dual Signed 9/30/22 Playoff Clinch Ticket Seattle Mariners PSA AUTH POP1
Seattle Mariners vs Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners Win 2-1
When the 2001 Seattle Mariners were putting together their magical 116-win fever dream of a season, no Seattle fan could have envisioned what was to unfold over the next two decades, but here the Mariners were in 2022, carrying the longest active playoff drought in North American sports at 21 years.
On 9/30/2022 with the game tied at one apiece in the 9th, Scott Servais’ secret weapon was on his bench: Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh. In his second major-league season, Raleigh had emerged as Seattle’s primary catcher. The left-handed hitter had mashed 25 home runs so far to tie the franchise single-season record for a backstop.3 He had been getting the day off — perhaps due to Oakland’s lefty starter — but with a chance to win the game, Servais called upon him to pinch-hit. One swing had the potential to cement Raleigh in history as a Mariners legend.
Acevedo started Raleigh off with a changeup in the dirt for ball one, followed by a better changeup that just missed low for ball two. Instead of challenging Raleigh with a 2-and-0 fastball, Acevedo snapped off a slider that Raleigh swung through for a strike. Acevedo then missed low again with a fastball, falling behind 3-and-1. Another slider, with Raleigh likely expecting a fastball, produced another swing and miss to run the count full. Tension was building on every pitch.
On the full-count offering, Raleigh pulled a slider foul down the first-base line. The seventh pitch of the at-bat was coming up, and Raleigh had now seen Acevedo’s slider three times. Acevedo continued to trust the pitch, delivering yet another slider to the plate.
This time, it caught too much of the dish. Raleigh went down and got it, pulling a high, deep drive into the Seattle night. The ball was obliterated, so the only question was whether it would stay fair. It stayed just inside the right-field foul pole, and Seattle erupted. The game was over, and 21 years of futility had come to a dramatic end.
Raleigh circled the bases in triumph, not holding back his joy. Cruising into home plate, he tossed his helmet aside and jumped into the pack of teammates waiting for him, where he was mobbed. Raleigh donned the Mariners’ blue and yellow Darth Vader home-run helmet – Seattle’s 2022 team tradition for players who went deep – and the team gathered in a circle to perform its signature win dance on the infield. At last, the longest playoff drought in North American sports was over!
