The Seattle Mariners set the tone early in the bottom of the first when Cal Raleigh launched a 115.2 mph two-run homer off Pirates starter Bailey Falter—the hardest-hit ball of Raleigh’s career—measuring 401 feet into right-center field and giving Julio Rodríguez time to cross the plate from first following a dropped catch by Spencer Horwitz.
Bryan Woo followed suit on the mound with a signature outing: six scoreless innings, three hits allowed, two walks, and eight strikeouts, marking his 17th straight start of at least six innings in 2025. Woo’s sinker-heavy arsenal induced seven groundouts and kept Pittsburgh off balance until he handed the ball to seam-shark reliever Andrés Muñoz in the seventh, preserving a 3-point lead and extending Seattle’s shutout streak at home to eight consecutive innings.
The offense tacked on insurance runs in the fourth (a Randy Arozarena solo shot), sixth (Raleigh’s second homer of the day), and seventh (a two-run Dylan Moore bomb), highlighting contributions up and down the lineup and capping a 7-hit Mariners attack with a 6–0 final score.
The Pirates (38–51) entered T-Mobile Park on a six-game win streak—their hottest stretch of 2025—yet remained four games below .500 and 14½ games out of first in the NL Central. Their offensive struggles surfaced again Friday, as a 0-for-7 performance with runners in scoring position underscored persistent timing issues in the lineup.
Starter Bailey Falter (6–4, 3.62 ERA) logged his longest outing since May 31, yielding three runs on three homers over 5.2 innings but avoiding walks and striking out four—yet Seattle’s power prevailed regardless of his command improvements
Friday’s multi-homer performance extended Raleigh’s season total to 35, surpassing his previous career high of 34 set in 2024 and vaulting him three homers clear of Aaron Judge for the MLB lead. By tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s pre-All-Star break mark, Raleigh joined an exclusive club that includes Barry Bonds (39 in 2001) and Mark McGwire (37 in 1998) for most homers before July 1.
Statcast metrics reveal Raleigh’s unprecedented power profile: a 39 percent pull-air rate (highest in MLB of players with at least 100 batted balls) and a front-of-the-zone contact point of 40 inches from his center of mass—both strategies advocated by Ted Williams in pursuit of “par excellence” power hits. His exit velocity splits (.650 SLG as a righty; .600 as a lefty) rank second in MLB OPS behind Judge, showcasing Raleigh’s two-way switch-hitting prowess.
Game 2 of the Mariners–Pirates series is set for Saturday, July 5, with first pitch at 10:10 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Here is a look at the pitching matchup in game 2/
Luis Castillo (SEA) – The right-hander enters with a 4–5 record, 3.55 ERA, and 79 strikeouts over 96⅓ innings. He’s coming off a strong outing against Texas, where he allowed just one earned run over six innings.
Mike Burrows (PIT) – The Pirates’ righty is 1–2 with a 4.15 ERA and 35 strikeouts in eight appearances. He’s shown flashes of dominance but hasn’t pitched beyond 5.1 innings in any start this season.
(photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)