Mariners: Cal Raleigh Takes the Blame for the Difficult Season

Before the start of this season, the Seattle Mariners were many people's pick to represent the American League in the World Series (against the Los Angeles Dodgers—who else?).

However, after making their deepest playoff run in franchise history last year—reaching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays—the team from Washington State has been one of the most disappointing teams in MLB this year.

So much so that they are in danger of falling completely out of contention for a spot in the postseason.

The Seattle Mariners were a hot World Series pick this year. Three-quarters of the way through the season, they are arguably the most disappointing team in baseball. What happened? pic.twitter.com/xqr0exGHGB

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 11, 2026

But how can this debacle be explained? Of course, we have to start by talking about Cal Raleigh and his descent into hell in 2026.

We knew the 29-year-old wasn't going to repeat last season's feats—he became the first catcher to hit 60 home runs in a single season, while posting an OPS of .948 and driving in 125 runs.

But there's a big difference between that and his OPS plummeting by more than 300 points, hitting just twelve home runs in 86 games, and posting a staggering 32% strikeout rate—the seventh-highest among all players with at least 350 plate appearances.

And the player himself isn't shying away from the criticism.

“I'm terrible. I feel responsible.”

Raleigh, however, isn't the only one to blame for the Mariners' collapse. In fact, the Mariners have scored the fewest runs in all of MLB, have the third-lowest OPS in the league, and are tied for the lowest batting average.

Cal Raleigh surprised the media with an impromptu session after the Mariners lost to the Yankees 4-1 on Tuesday and took the blame for the team's struggles this season. “I feel responsible,” he said.

From @RyanDivish: https://t.co/PBNxuftTcE

— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) August 12, 2026

Seattle is also among the least effective teams at capitalizing on runners in scoring position, boasting the worst batting average, fewest runs scored, and fewest extra-base hits in that situation.

Josh Naylor, Julio Rodríguez, and J.P. Crawford are a shadow of their former selves this year, and with upcoming series against the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Blue Jays, and the Boston Red Sox, hopes for a postseason run in October may soon be dashed.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.