Reds intentionally load bases for slumping Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, who makes Francona pay

SEATTLE (AP) — On paper, the move made plenty of sense.

The Cincinnati Reds trailed the Seattle Mariners 3-0 in the seventh inning and were on the verge of watching their deficit grow. The Mariners had runners at second and third, so Reds manager Terry Francona ordered lefty Caleb Ferguson to intentionally walk Dominic Canzone to load the bases.

That brought up Cal Raleigh, last year’s AL MVP runner-up. The slumping catcher is hitting just .163 this season, but he pounced on the first pitch and turned on a hanging breaking ball, sending it 408 feet into the left-field bleachers to break open the game in an 8-0 victory.

Francona stood by his decision, and said he would make the same one again every time.

“I know what Raleigh’s hitting and, he still worries me,” the veteran skipper said with a laugh. “But, I thought that was our best chance to have them not score. We could play the infield double-play depth. And, the worst possible outcome happened.”

Raleigh, meanwhile, was surprised to see Canzone intentionally walked. But, to Francona’s point, Raleigh has struggled mightily in 2026.

A year removed from hitting 60 home runs, Raleigh has only 10, including what was his sixth career grand slam. He entered Monday with just 17 extra-base hits. The left-handed-hitting Canzone, meanwhile, has a .993 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, albeit across only 24 at-bats.

Raleigh went 0 for 10 in the Mariners’ first series after the All-Star break, but felt confident in his process going into Monday night. To have his efforts culminate with such a big swing wasn’t lost on Raleigh, who appreciated his teammates’ raucous celebration.

“It means a lot,” Raleigh said. “I feel like this group’s in a good spot now. … They’ve been very good, very positive and lots of energy in the dugout, and you can feel it. I feel really good about where we’re heading.”

Raleigh admitted it’s been a frustrating season not just for him, but the rest of the Mariners, too. Seattle entered 2026 with lofty expectations after one of the best years in franchise history, when the Mariners lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games in the American League Championship Series.

Despite hovering around .500 all season, Seattle (51-50) moved a half-game ahead of Texas (50-50) atop the AL West. If the Mariners are to build upon their slim lead in the division, having Raleigh more closely resemble his 2025 form would go a long way.

But even after driving in five runs in the Mariners’ third straight victory, Raleigh was in no mood to bask in his glory. Rather, he was most interested in moving forward, and building upon the team’s latest string of success.

“Sometimes (you) can start to feel sorry for yourself or get a little frustrated,” he said. “But, understanding that there’s still a lot of season left, and we’re still in the hunt of it, and we still have a job to do.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb