Mariners Play Bop It, Sweep the Rangers with 3-1 Victory on Little League Day
Seattle turned T-Mobile Park into a playground on Sunday afternoon, as the Mariners celebrated their first Little League Day of the season by playing a game of Bop It — and bopping the Texas Rangers out of town with a 3-1 win and a satisfying series sweep.
Pull it!
Cal Raleigh continued his slugfest tour, homering for the third straight game — this time launching a no-doubter over the right-field wall in the first inning. That shot gave the Mariners a quick 2-0 lead and pushed Raleigh even higher on the all-time franchise home run leaderboard. He now sits just one behind Ichiro for 16th place. With the way Cal is swinging the bat, cracking the top 10 by midseason feels inevitable.
Twist it!
Logan Gilbert took the mound following one of the strongest three-start stretches of his career, and while today’s outing wasn’t quite as dazzling, it was still solid. Gilbert struggled to locate his slider early, which the Rangers pounced on when Dustin Harris took him deep in the second. But Cal and Logan adjusted on the fly, leaning more on the four-seamer and splitter — a twist in approach that helped Logan rediscover the feel for his slider. The result? Five innings of one-run ball, seven strikeouts, and a step up the franchise’s all-time strikeout list.
Pull it!
At 94 pitches through five innings, Gilbert was pulled by skipper Dan Wilson — but not before laying a strong foundation. Enter Gabe Speier, who made quick work of the Rangers’ lefty-heavy lineup, retiring Corey Seager and company in order to preserve the lead.
Twist it!
The defensive highlight came in the sixth, and it was pure chaos. After Julio Rodríguez punched a single into play, Jorge Polanco hit a soft roller to first. Rangers first baseman Jake Burger, perhaps too focused on Julio’s speed, lost track of the obvious. Polanco danced around the tag like he was dodging cones at recess, turning a routine out into a spin move straight from the playground — and a safe call that extended the inning.
From start to finish, the Mariners twisted, pulled, and bopped their way to a confident 3-1 win, sweeping the Rangers and keeping the vibes high heading into the next series.