BOSTON — Cal Raleigh grew up idolizing Red Sox icon Jason Varitek and rooting for Boston teams whose switch-hitting backstop led to two World Series titles.
Yet, the Big Dumper is one of the best switch-hitters in Red Sox storied history, but Varitek did something on Monday night that he never did. Raleigh became the first player to homer from both sides of the plate in Fenway Park’s 112-year run, leading the Mariners to a 10-1 victory.
“It’s special here,” Raleigh said. “It’s great. I didn’t think much of it, but it’s surprising that Varitek never did. But it’s great, and I guess I’ll say that I’ve done that.”
Raleigh’s father, Todd, is from Swanton, Vt. He played in the Red Sox organization in 1991 before finding his calling as a coach starting at the University of Vermont a year later. So when the Mariners came to Boston last year and Raleigh got the chance to meet with Varitek, he wanted to sign his idol’s jersey.
“He actually had a ‘C’ on his chest, he was a captain,” Raleigh said of Varitek. “I feel like you don’t see a lot of guys like that, who get that respect and earn all that. He’s just the kind of player you want to be. I don’t care about home runs and stats. I want to be a good teammate, a good leader and a good person that people can trust.
Varitek blossomed into a Red Sox great after the Mariners acquired him and pitcher Derek Lowe at the 1997 trade deadline in what is considered one of the most lopsided deals in franchise history. .
On Monday night, he entered the registry office for various reasons.
Raleigh’s left-field homer went 438 feet and past Pesky’s pole, but his blast to right cleared the green monster and left the ballpark 434 feet. They represented two of his five longest streaks in his 36 career career.
“When you’re a kid, you’re always thinking about beating a monster,” said Raleigh, whose grandfather was present. “It’s so big, so scary. But doing it today was very special.
Raleigh’s efforts, along with an eighth-inning offensive onslaught and George Kirby’s seventh straight quality start, sealed the Mariners’ 10th win in their last 14 games. They can go two games over 500 for the first time in 2023 with a win on Tuesday.
What’s most encouraging, however, is the life Seattle’s offense has shown on this road trip to support the assertion that once the bats find their footing, they can really take off — especially with efforts like Kirby’s.
“I like our start,” manager Scott Service said. “We are very competitive. we are young. We have good arms. You hope the offense is consistent, then you start winning 10 out of 12, when you start clicking in a row. We’ve done it before. Going out and doing it again is definitely within our grasp. “
Among the group of competitors looking for more standard results was Raleigh, who tore off a solid 107.3 mph in four cars. He’s hitting .156/.270/.188 (.458 OPS) on the day in 10 games since his most recent homer, on April 30 in Toronto, where he smashed two.
Notably, Raleigh is strikeout-prone, and his 30.8% K rate entering Monday was MLB’s 10th-highest. Overall, the Mariners have a 25.7% rate, MLB’s worst.
“When you start thinking about your swing, it’s never good,” Raleigh said. “I’m just trying to get back on time for his fastball and try not to overdo it. I’m trying to get back to what I was last year.”
Mariners are not built on batting average, but rather on-base and slugging percentage. Their offensive blueprint over the past two seasons, when they’ve won 90 games each, has been based on grinding opponents and hitting homers with runners on base — precisely their formula Monday.
Eugenio Suarez also crushed a two-run homer, after Jared Kelenic hit a line drive single. AJ Pollock followed with a pinch-hit RBI single and Ty France hit an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. The Mariners went 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position, and five of their 15 hits came with two hits, a season high.