Mariners’ 21-year playoff wait ends on Raleigh’s walk-off HR

By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit a game-winning home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Seattle Mariners ended the longest playoff drought in baseball with a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Raleigh, pinch-hitting for Luis Torrens, hit a 3-2 pitch from Domingo Acevedo just inside the right-field foul pole for a solo homer that sent the Mariners to the postseason for the first time since 2001. Raleigh came through with his 26th home run of the season, the most ever by a Seattle catcher. Aside from the clinching a spot in the postseason, Seattle stayed 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the top wild-card spot and one half-game ahead of Tampa Bay as the three continue to jockey for seeding.