Curtain call. The crowd chants “MVP!” as Cal Raleigh stepped up in the eighth inning and crushed his second homer of the game, his 60th of the season. The crowd roared, the scoreboard screamed history, and by the end of the night, the Mariners had clinched the AL West for the first time in over twenty years. It wasn’t just a win; it was a moment that put Raleigh in the middle of the MVP conversation. And with that, Aaron Judge’s MVP case suddenly felt less bulletproof.

Judge has been the model of consistency all year, slashing .328/.455/.681 with an AL-leading OPS over 1.136. He tops the league in both bWAR and fWAR, and his plate discipline, league-best walk rate included, has made him the most complete hitter in baseball. But injuries limited him to DH duty at times, and in an MVP race this tight, every detail matters. The numbers tell one story, but baseball voters love narratives, and Cal Raleigh just authored a dramatic one.

That’s where New York journalist Jon Heyman stepped in, capturing the shift in perception: “Raleigh hit his 60th on the night the Mariners clinched the AL West. He and Judge are deserving of MVP, but very tough to argue against Raleigh now.”

It’s hard to argue with that timing. Cal Raleigh became the first catcher in Major League history to reach 60 homers in a season and only the seventh player overall to hit that mark. He also leads the AL with 125 RBIs. All while carrying the defensive responsibilities of the game’s most tiring position. Judge, on the other hand, has eight fewer homers, sitting at 52, and way behind Raleigh in RBIs, though his overall offensive value remains higher in advanced metrics.

So, where does this leave the MVP race? On paper, Judge still edges Raleigh with his WAR advantage, his superior batting average, and his ability to dominate without relying solely on power. But the emotional weight of Raleigh’s achievement, a catcher powering his team to a long-awaited division crown, cannot be dismissed.

And that, really, is what makes this duel compelling. Judge’s season isn’t unraveling, but the path to MVP just got a lot bumpier. In short: Heyman just turned the volume way up on Cal Raleigh’s case. Aaron Judge can’t rest. With just a few games left, this race is now a knife fight. And

Cal Raleigh’s historic night meets clubhouse champagne

The champagne was already dripping from the ceiling tiles when the Mariners officially ended a 24-year wait for an AL West title. Their 9–2 win over the Rockies turned T-Mobile Park into a party, with goggles, beer showers, and Cal Raleigh right in the middle of it after crushing his 59th and 60th homers. The catcher’s bat carried Seattle to history, and the overall message was leaving no doubt about the team’s intention heading into October.

Manager Dan Wilson showed his appreciation by delivering a 2-minute speech. Mainly revolving around “faith, hope, and love.” He credited their belief in the roster, praised his coaching staff, and challenged the group to keep competing with the same energy. “I see a lot of love and a lot of appreciation and all the work that’s gone into this. Especially, the greatest coaching staffs in the big leagues are right here. Thank you, fellas, for doing it every single day……. Keep loving each other. Keep competing and we’ll keep going….” Wilson’s voice rose over as champagne corks popped, a steady reminder that unity as well as talent pushed this team to the top of the division.

And then Cal Raleigh, still sweaty and smiling, took the mic with a reporter on the field. Asked about the team’s mindset after this success (as they had earlier said that there was still a lot of work to do). He didn’t hold back. “I think most people heard what I said last night, might as well win the whole f***ing thing!” he declared. That mix of power, personality, and timing is what made the night so electric. For the Mariners, a division crown was sweet, but Raleigh’s words made one thing clear: this October run is about chasing something far bigger.