Just two years ago, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider made a now-infamous remark about Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Following Raleigh’s two home runs in a comeback extra-innings victory in Toronto in April 2023, Schneider expressed his skepticism about Raleigh, who would later set the MLB single-season home run record for catchers and switch-hitters.
He’s hitting .200,” Schneider stated at the time. “I know he’s done damage against us… He clearly has big damage potential, but he also has a tendency to strike out. When you execute your pitches, you generally get the job done.”
However, after Raleigh continued his dominance over the Blue Jays with a solo home run that shifted the momentum in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, Schneider’s tune had drastically changed.
“I consider walking him every time he comes to the plate, to be honest,” Schneider acknowledged when asked about the decision before the home run. “Great hitters, and hitters in general, capitalize on mistakes, and that split from (Kevin Gausman) leaked back over the middle just a bit.
In Game 2 on Monday, Schneider finally took action to avoid pitching to Raleigh in a high-pressure situation. He intentionally walked the slugger with a runner on second base and no outs in a tied game (3-3) during the fifth inning. Just two batters later, Jorge Polanco capitalized, launching a three-run home run that put Seattle ahead for good in their 10-3 victory, giving them a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Walking Raleigh wasn’t the only costly decision for Toronto in Game 2, either. In his first at-bat, Raleigh drew a walk, and Julio Rodríguez followed him up with a three-run home run, putting the Mariners on the board before they even recorded an out.
This is the challenge Schneider now faces against the Mariners, a challenge that didn’t exist in their earlier matchups this season. If he opts to pitch around Raleigh—who has hit an impressive 12 home runs in just 28 career games against Toronto, including the playoffs—he runs the risk of putting a runner on base for the formidable hitters that follow.
The stark difference between the 2025 Mariners playoff lineup and previous iterations that Schneider has encountered since taking over as Toronto’s manager midway through 2022 is clear: this lineup is significantly deeper and more formidable than in recent years.
