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What Mariners’ Cal Raleigh said about ending 0-for-38 slump right after getting drilled in nuts
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- What Mariners’ Cal Raleigh said about ending 0-for-38 slump right after getting drilled in nuts
What Mariners’ Cal Raleigh said about ending 0-for-38 slump right after getting drilled in nuts appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Fresh off arguably the best season by a catcher ever, Cal Raleigh has really struggled at the plate for the Seattle Mariners this season. En route to finishing in second place in American League MVP voting last year, Raleigh batted .247 and hit 60 home runs. The long bomb mark was not only the best mark in baseball, but he became one of just seven players ever with 60-plus homers in a single season .
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This year, the star catcher has only seven home runs, and he has really struggled to get the bat on the ball. Raleigh is batting just .166 through 40 games. This funk included a career-worst 0-for-38 slump, dating back to April 27, that wasn’t erased until a 2-for-4 performance on May 12. Raleigh was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief when he smacked a seventh-inning single in a 10-2 victory over the Houston Astros .
Before ending his slump, the reigning AL MVP runner-up dove deep into superstition mode. At the behest of Logan Gilbert, Raleigh showered in full uniform , and the bizarre advice seemingly paid off. His slump-busting also took place directly after a catcher’s worst nightmare.
Raleigh was hit by a foul tip straight in the groin in the Mariners’ winning performance. The seventh inning foul off Christian Walker ’s bat led to immediate pain, but it may have given Raleigh the jolt of energy that he needed.
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“Sometimes, you’ve just got to throw everything out the window,” Raleigh said after breaking the slump. “Just go out there and say, ‘Screw it,’ and try to compete. Sometimes, you’ve got to put the numbers and the technique and mechanics aside and just go out there and grind it out.”
Raleigh’s slump ends just shy of the longest skid in franchise history. Former teammate Jarred Kelenic went 42 straight at-bats without a hit back in 2021. Perhaps Raleigh will now have the momentum to perform like his regular self going forward.
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