The MVP fight got really loud! Judge's status shook Raleigh's decisive shot in 1999 to summon TEX catcher
Aug 10, 2025
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Since returning from the IL on the 6th, Judge has only posted 2 hits and 1 RBI in 10 at-bats in 3 games until the Houston Astros game on the 9th. The batting average fell from 0.342 before the injury to 0.339 and the OPS from 0.1160 to 1.142. Home runs are in place at 37 on the 14th day. It is still maintaining its status as the No. 1 MVP candidate, but anxiety is growing.
In addition, a strong challenger, Seattle Mariners Carl Raleigh, hit a decisive home run and shook the votes of the BBWAA (National Baseball Writers Association), which has the right to vote for MVP.
In the home game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park on the 9th, Raleigh scored a come-from-behind three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases, leading the team to a 3-2 victory. In a two-ball, opposing right-hander Griffin Jax pulled an 87.5-mile sweeper that flew low on the third pitch, leading to a come-from-behind home run that went well over the right-center fence. He hit his 43rd home run of the season with a shooting angle of 28 degrees, a batting speed of 108.1 miles and a flying distance of 417 feet.
As Raleigh hit a home run and circled the base, 39,780 Seattle fans filled T-Mobile Park all together "M~V~P~!"chanted " Raleigh's home run was even more meaningful as the 51st permanent absentee ceremony, which was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on the 28th of last month, was held here.
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Since Raleigh played as a catcher on the day, the number of home runs he hit as a catcher this season has increased to 35. In other words, it tied the record for the most home runs in a single AL catcher set by Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez in 1999. Rodriguez was named AL MVP that year. He had 35 home runs, 113 RBIs, 116 runs, 25 steals, a batting average of 0.332, and an OPS of 0.914. In other words, Raleigh is also qualified as MVP.
After the game, Rowley said "I'm a person, too. I heard the sound (MVP Chant). But I'm trying to focus on what I have to do. It was a very thrilling come-from-behind home run. It was a crucial home run. After the season was over, he expressed his feelings, saying, `It was a great game.'
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If Seattle makes the playoffs three years after 2022 and for the third time since 2001, the top contributor should be Raleigh. As of today, he is No. 1 in home runs in both leagues, No. 1 in AL RBIs, No. 2 in slugging percentage (0.586) and No. 2 in OPS (0.941), No. 3 in bWAR (5.3), and No. 2 in fWAR (6.3).
Judge, who is ranked first in fWAR (6.5) and bWAR (7.0), is not in a relaxed position. What matters in MVP voting is not just a home run or a WAR ranking, but how impressive a play is left. Raleigh's home run on this day could be a decisive sign of shaking MVP votes.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
