Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, and Luis Castillo struck out nine batters as the Seattle Mariners finished a strong sweep of the New York Mets with a 12-1 victory on Sunday.
Castillo gave up four hits and walked two in six innings, showcasing a dominant series performance by Seattle’s pitchers. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Castillo together struck out 21 batters and allowed 10 hits while walking four in 19 innings, all with Raleigh catching.
“To me, I would say it was one of those perfect days, you know?” Castillo said through a translator. “The defense was working. Me and the catcher were working. So everything was clicking.”
Jeff McNeil of the Mets broke a 27-inning scoreless streak with a solo home run in the sixth inning, which was the only run the Mets scored in the three-game series.
Allowing just one run over the series ties a team record, a mark reached twice before. The 11-run victory margin was the largest of the season. Seattle has won four games in a row and is tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros.
This comes after a trade deadline that saw the team acquire Randy Arozarena, Justin Turner, and additional bullpen help. Arozarena also made a notable diving catch in the outfield during Sunday’s game.
“Since we made the acquisitions there before the trade deadline, there’s just a different vibe in our clubhouse,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “There’s a much more confident feel amongst our group, even on the nights where we don’t ultimately get it done and get the win. There’s just a different feel with where we’re at right now.”
Castillo (10-11) kept the Mets guessing, reaching over 1,300 career strikeouts during his start. He struck out five batters in a row midway through his outing and struck out the side in the fourth inning, ending Jose Iglesias’ at-bat with a sinker that made him spin into the ground.
“I (did) it a couple of times in Cincinnati,” Castillo said about the dramatic strikeout. “But when it happened, a lot of teammates here told me that I had my fist up, so I think they were all telling me that that was kind of incredible.”
Raleigh gave the Mariners a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, then hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, increasing the lead to 10-1. This was Raleigh’s third game this season with multiple home runs, bringing his total to 26.
He is the first catcher since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza to hit 25 or more home runs in three straight seasons. Piazza achieved this in eight consecutive seasons from 1995 to 2002.
