The Seattle Mariners have first place in the AL West all to themselves for only the second time this season.
Seattle extended its winning streak to nine games with an 11-2 pounding of the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park. Coupled with the Houston Astros’ 8-3 defeat versus the Atlanta Braves, the Mariners hold the top spot in the division for the first time since June 1.
Star slugger Cal Raleigh gave the home crowd an early thrill by hitting his 54th home run of what’s been a historic season. That tied him with Mickey Mantle for the most homers in a single season by a switch-hitter and gave Seattle a 2-0 lead.
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Raleigh’s homer was also the 43rd he hit while playing catcher, overtaking the record 42 that Javy Lopez hit at the position in 2003 for the Atlanta Braves. (When he hit his 49th overall homer this season, Raleigh surpassed the 48 hit by Salvador Perez primarily playing catcher through the year.
The Mariners added three runs on four hits in the third inning, scoring on an RBI double from Julio Rodríguez, a sacrifice fly by Josh Naylor and a run-scoring double from Dominic Canzone.
That was followed up by six hits and two walks in the fourth that put Seattle up 10-0. The surge was highlighted by another RBI double from Rodriguez, a 2-run single by Naylor and a 2-run single from Canzone.
Naylor and Canzone each drove in three runs, while Rodriguez and Raleigh each had two RBI in a 16-hit barrage by the Mariners.
The 10-run outburst provided more than enough run support for Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby, who racked up 14 strikeouts — tying a career-high — in 6 1/3 innings while allowing two runs and three hits. Kirby retired the first 13 batters he faced, striking out nine of them.
The right-hander served up solo home runs to Christian Moore in the fifth and Oswald Peraza in the sixth, but that barely chipped away at Seattle’s huge lead.
Kirby’s 14-strikeout effort followed Bryan Woo striking out 13 batters in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Angels. It also represented a strong rebound from his past two starts, in which he allowed 10 total runs and 17 hits in just six innings.
The Mariners (82-68) have 12 games remaining on their schedule, beginning a six-game road trip on Tuesday. That includes three games against the Astros in Houston, a series that could possibly determine the AL West winner. Seattle’s season ends with three-game home series versus the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Astros (81-69) also have 12 games left in their regular season, starting a six-game homestand versus the Texas Rangers before hosting the Mariners. They finish with three-game sets at the Athletics and Angels.
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