Cal Raleigh Takes Blame For Mariners Struggles After Yankees Loss

Mariners Drop Fifth Straight to Yankees at Yankee Stadium

On Tuesday night, Seattle collected only three hits against New York pitching. The team’s lone run came in the sixth inning when Randy Arozarena hit a 2-2 pitch from left-hander Ryan Weathers over the right-field wall to break a scoreless tie. Dominic Canzone added a single off Yankees closer David Bednar in the ninth, but Cole Young followed by hitting into a forceout, and catcher Cal Raleigh struck out on three elevated, 96-mph fastballs well above the strike zone to end the game.

Cal Raleigh Takes Full Blame and Addresses Offensive Approach

Following the game, Cal Raleigh stepped directly in front of the media backdrop to address reporters before manager Dan Wilson could speak, taking complete accountability for the team’s ongoing slump. A year removed from finishing second in the American League MVP voting to Aaron Judge after slugging 60 home runs in 2025, Raleigh has endured an injury-list stint and a difficult season at the plate, carrying a .159 batting average with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.

Mariners Lose 4-1 to Yankees as Bullpen Wastes Bryan Woo Start

It’s not good. We’re not playing well. That starts with me. I’m awful, Raleigh said, according to ESPN. I’ve got to find a way to be better, and to help bring the guys along. We’ve just got to play better. We’re just playing very, very, very bad baseball in every facet of the game.

Raleigh also addressed the team’s offensive approach, noting that hitters need to adjust rather than hunting for home runs. The approach [as a team] is not there, Raleigh said, as reported by Yakimaherald. You have to take what they give you. We are just not doing that right now. The Mariners hold a 48-29 record in games where they hit a home run, compared to an 8-34 record when they do not.

Yankees Come From Behind to Defeat Mariners 4-1 behind McMahon and Grisham

Bullpen Breakdown and Managerial Decisions

Seattle’s pitching staff was unable to protect the slim 1-0 lead supplied by Arozarena’s sixth-inning home run. Starter Bryan Woo tossed five scoreless innings, and José A. Ferrer contributed a scoreless sixth. However, right-hander Michael Rucker ran into trouble in the seventh.

After Luis García Jr. doubled and Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, George Lombard Jr. struck out, and Rucker walked Spencer Jones to load the bases. Ryan McMahon then singled to left field to drive in two runs and give New York a 2-1 lead. Eduard Bazardo replaced Rucker and allowed a single to Austin Wells to reload the bases, before Trent Grisham singled to left field to score Jones and McMahon, extending the Yankees’ lead to 4-1.

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Mariners manager Dan Wilson defended his bullpen management after the game, explaining that Rucker was chosen because his breaking ball matched up well against left-handed hitters and could generate groundball outs. Wilson noted that left-hander Gabe Speier would have been an ideal option to face the left-handed-hitting Spencer Jones, but Speier was unavailable due to back soreness.

We like the way Ruck matched up with those lefties, Wilson said, according to Seattletimes. It just didn’t get to where we wanted to get to. We weren’t able to get through the inning and keep the game where it was.