ARLINGTON, Texas – Eventually, Bryan Woo needed a second to catch his breath.
Not long after the Mariners finished a 13-1 thumping of the Texas Rangers, Woo was going deep into his bag of superlatives to explain the emerging greatness of his catcher, Cal Raleigh, when he suddenly paused mid-sentence.
“I don’t want to keep hyping him up so much,” Woo deadpanned. “His ego is going to blow up.”
Hardly a real concern for these Mariners, who look more and more like a real contender with each passing day.
Raleigh hit two home runs – highlighted by a one-handed grand slam – in one of the best offensive days of his big-league career, and Woo followed with perhaps the best start of his career in lifting the Mariners to a resounding victory over their AL West rival in their series opener Friday night at Globe Life Park.
The Mariners are 15-4 in their last 19 games, the best record in MLB over that stretch. They have won five in a row, outscoring opponents 48-13 in those five games.
And to one big question hanging over this team – can they keep up this torrid offensive onslaught? – the Mariners offered a resounding yes for another day.
“Obviously, winning is fun,” manager Dan Wilson said. “And that’s what we’re here to do.”
Woo was perfect into the fifth inning and allowed only one hit in six-plus shutout innings to continue his dominant start to the season.
“That was probably the best I’ve ever seen him throw from beginning to end,” Raleigh said.
Woo was just as complimentary, initially, about his catcher and former roommate.
“Everybody knows what kind of power he has at this point, but it’s just everything altogether,” Woo said. “It’s the bat; it’s the leadership; it’s the humility; it’s what he means to the guys in the clubhouse. It’s what he means to the fans in Seattle.”
With 12 homers in 31 games, Raleigh took over the MLB home-run lead, two ahead of anyone else in the majors. He has tormented Texas early this season, homering in all four games against the Rangers, five in all.
Swinging left-handed, Raleigh hit a mammoth blast, estimated at 432 feet, off Texas starter Jack Leiter for the game’s first run leading off the fourth inning.
In his next at-bat, Raleigh broke it open with his fifth-inning grand slam. But not before falling behind 0-2 after chasing the first two pitches out of the zone. He called timeout and a camera captured him chastising himself.
What did he say?
“Nothing good,” Raleigh said with a laugh.
After laying off the next two pitches, Raleigh reached down in a 2-2 count to loft a Leiter curveball that dropped below the zone, his top hand pulling off the handle of the bat as he made contact. The ball sailed into the right-field stands for the third grand slam of his career, extending the Mariners’ lead to 5-0.
“Not really trying to do too much (with two strikes); just trying to stay to the middle of the field,” Raleigh said. “I was a little out front but able to keep it fair. If I try to pull that ball, I’d hook it foul or maybe miss it. So really, just try to stay with the big part (of the field) and keep it simple.”
Mariners right fielder Rhylan Thomas, a 25-year-old making his MLB debut, hit a bloop double just fair near the left-field line to lead off the fifth inning for his first hit. He added his first RBI later in the inning on a sacrifice fly, part of the Mariners’ seven-run fifth inning.
“It was the best feeling of all time,” Thomas said. “I mean, I’ll never feel like that again in a game. I’m just so thankful.”
Third baseman Ben Williamson made an incredible catch to end the first inning, turning his back to the infield, diving and snagging an over-the-shoulder catch in shallow left field to take away a hit from Joc Pederson. Williamson also had an RBI double off the wall in right-center field in the fifth.
It’s the second straight game the Mariners have scored six runs or more in one inning – they scored six runs in the seventh inning Wednesday to beat the Angels – the first time that’s happened for the M’s since April 2019.
Julio Rodriguez added a two-run homer to straightaway center field in the sixth inning, his fifth home run. That extended the lead to 10-0.
Woo, meanwhile, was nearly untouchable. Known for his heavily reliance – for good reason – on his two fastballs, he was able to effectively mix in his three other offerings (slider, sweeper, changeup) early and often, keeping the Rangers off-balance.
Jonah Heim singled with two outs in the fifth inning to break up Woo’s perfect game.
That would be the only runner Woo would allow. His final line: 61/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 8 K’s.
Woo’s only hint of frustration came when Wilson came out to get him with one out in the seventh inning, his pitch count at 87 pitches. Woo said he briefly tried to convince Wilson to let him finish the seventh.
“Obviously you want the ball,” Woo said, “but you’ve got to see the bigger picture.”
And given the state of the Mariners’ rotation, it was probably the prudent thing to do for Wilson. The Mariners need Woo now more than ever.
With Logan Gilbert (elbow flexor strain) and George Kirby (shoulder inflammation) on the injured list, Woo’s consistent ace-like production has been one of the most encouraging developments of the young season for the Mariners.
Woo has thrown at least six innings in all six of his starts this season, with five quality starts (three runs or less in six innings or more). He lowered his ERA to 2.58.
“As we saw him sort of mature last year, has really stepped up his game in that area, and just continues to be consistent, which is huge for us,” Wilson said.
The Mariners, one of the most productive offenses in MLB over the past three weeks, totaled 17 hits Friday, with just three strikeouts against three walks.
“These guys do a really good job of, whether it’s good or bad, they come tomorrow, they’re ready to play again,” Wilson said. “And that’s the thing that they do so well, and that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ll enjoy this one for a minute and then get ready again for tomorrow.”