Kansas City — In a stunning display of power and skill, Cal Raleigh continued his remarkable season by hitting two home runs during the Mariners' impressive 12-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. One of Raleigh's home runs not only shattered an MLB record held by the legendary Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle but also tied him with another Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey Jr., for the franchise record. Yet, amidst Raleigh's historic feats, Dominic Canzone stole the spotlight with an extraordinary performance.
Canzone took the plate five times and recorded five hits, making him the 12th player in Mariners history to hit three home runs in a single game. He also drove in four runs and crossed home plate four times himself. Remarkably, Canzone became only the second player in the team's history to achieve both three homers and five hits in one game, following Mickey Brantley, who accomplished the feat on September 14, 1987, against Cleveland. The last player to hit three homers for Seattle was Kyle Seager, who did so on August 13, 2019, at Detroit. Canzone's achievement was particularly significant as he noted he had never recorded five hits or three homers in a game throughout his entire baseball career.
“It was a huge night for Dom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson stated. “We saw some great at-bats from him the other day on Sunday at home, and he just brought that energy to this game. You don’t hit a cheap homer in this ballpark; you’ve got to earn it. And he crushed some balls today. His ability to be an all-around hitter has been very apparent in the last couple of days.”
The Mariners' offensive explosion propelled them to their 10th consecutive victory, putting their record at 83-68. They remained a half-game ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League West. Houston (83-69) managed to defeat the Texas Rangers for the second night in a row, leaving Texas (79-73) trailing 4.5 games behind Seattle. The Mariners also hold the season tiebreaker over the Rangers and sit two games back of the Detroit Tigers (85-66) for the second-best record in the American League.
Dominic Canzone's historic feats included a series of critical hits, all of which came with two strikes. His first at-bat resulted in a solo homer to right field, clocking in at 110 mph with an impressive distance of 419 feet off Royals starter Michael Wacha. In his second at-bat, Canzone hit a ground-ball single up the middle on a 3-2 fastball from Wacha. He followed this with another solo homer to right-center on a 2-2 sinker from lefty Daniel Lynch IV, hitting it at 108 mph and sending it 447 feet. His fourth at-bat was a line-drive single to left field on an 0-2 curveball from lefty Sam Long. To cap off his night, Canzone blasted a two-run homer to right field on a 1-2 slider from right-hander Jonathan Bowlan, registering a 101 mph exit velocity and traveling 388 feet.
The Mariners, who have faced challenges in road games since the All-Star break, kicked off this crucial final road trip of the season with a decisive win. In their last three games away from T-Mobile Park, all victories, they have scored an impressive 40 runs on 44 hits, which includes 15 home runs, two triples, and five doubles. Throughout their current 10-game winning streak, the Mariners have outscored their opponents 78-28.
“Having such a deep lineup takes the stress off of everyone,” Canzone commented. “Not one guy needs to do all the damage; not one guy needs to hit a homer. I think it’s taken a lot of pressure off everyone, and that’s why we’re having so much success.”
While Canzone's performance was exceptional, it was Raleigh who set the tone for the night with his record-breaking hits. Raleigh's massive solo homer to right field off Wacha in the third inning expanded Seattle's lead from 3-0 to a commanding 7-0. This marked his 55th homer of the season, breaking Mickey Mantle's record for the most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter. In his subsequent plate appearance, Raleigh further showcased his talents by smashing a first-pitch changeup from Lynch over the center-field wall, marking his 56th homer and tying Ken Griffey Jr. for the team's single-season record.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert benefited from the substantial run support, pitching 5 2/3 innings while allowing only two runs on six hits, with one walk and five strikeouts to secure the win, improving his season record to 5-6. After three scoreless innings, Gilbert allowed a solo homer to rookie catcher Carter Jensen, marking Jensen's first career home run. With the Mariners leading 10-1 in the sixth, Wilson pulled Gilbert with two outs after he surrendered a single to Jonathan India, recognizing there was no need to push Gilbert further given the sizable lead. Carlos Vargas then entered the game but gave up a homer to Jensen, reducing the score to 10-3.
This remarkable game not only highlighted the individual achievements of Raleigh and Canzone but also underscored the Mariners' potential as they push toward the postseason. With powerful performances and a cohesive team effort, Seattle is poised for a strong finish to the season.
