Just nine outs away from reaching their first-ever World Series, the Mariners’ pitching unraveled. Bryan Woo walked a batter and gave up a hit to put two runners on right away. After a sacrifice bunt, the Mariners sent Eduard Bazardo, who then allowed a three-run homer to George Springer, helping the Blue Jays with a 4-3 lead. The Jays held on to win by that score and advanced to the World Series. At the end, after the Seattle Mariners’ ALCS exit on Monday night, no one wore the pain quite like Cal Raleigh did.

Opening up in a postgame interview, he said, “Just, you know, thinking about what we could have done better. You know, you look back at a lot of points in the game where you could have taken advantage of or even the series. And yeah, so just disappointed.”

After six and a half innings, the Mariners were up 3-1 against the Blue Jays in Game 7 at Rogers Centre. Raleigh, doing all that he could’ve possibly done, capped off his incredible season with a clutch home run in the fifth, giving Seattle a two-run lead.

It was easy to understand why he got teary-eyed while talking about the heartbreaking loss. “It was a great team effort. Love every guy in this room, but ultimately it’s not what we wanted. I hate to use the word “failure,” but it’s a failure, and what we expected was to get to a World Series and win a World Series, and that’s, you know, what the bar is and the standard is and that’s what we want to hold ourselves accountable to but yeah, it hurts.” he further added.

Raleigh, aka THE BIG DUMPER, had hit 60 home runs in the regular season and added five more in the postseason. In total, he hit 65 this season, which happens to be an American League record.

He even went deep in Game 7 with the Mariners’ season on the line. Losing after an MVP-worthy season like that makes it easy to see why the defeat hit him so hard.

Before Monday’s loss, the Mariners had held series leads of 2-0 and 3-2. They became only the fourth team ever to win the first two games of a best-of-seven series on the road and still fall short of advancing further. With this season done, the Mariners will hope to use their learnings to mount another challenge for the World Series next season, as alluded to by their manager.

Mariners manager focuses on next campaign

After the 4-3 defeat, Bryan Woo, Cal Raleigh and, others in the clubhouse couldn’t hide their loud emotions. Addressing the crushing defeat, manager Dan Wilson stayed composed. “I think all of us now have had a taste of how close we can get and how good this team can be. Once you get that, that’s what you’re shooting for again the next year. That will continue to be the goal—to get to that final step. This year, we were one game short.” He said.

His postgame remarks reflected a measured perspective for the next campaign. The Mariners have been desperately waiting for this opportunity. They’ve had a long drought as they patiently waited for a breakthrough.

When the media was interviewing Bryan Woo after the loss, a loud, screaming voice erupted in the background. It somehow revealed the mood of the Mariners’ clubhouse, and the clip of Woo’s interview went viral for more than just his remarks.

Wilson gathered all his players and did his best to lift them up a bit. “Hold up your heads and understand what kind of season you had.” He said. Further, he reminded them they’re a “special team” and that it’s a “shame” that the Mariners came out on the wrong side of this one.

This loss will be talked about all winter in Seattle. The good news for the Mariners is that their core is built to last. Most of their key players will be back in 2026 and even beyond. Julio Rodríguez is signed through 2029, and Cal Raleigh through 2030.

Their talented homegrown rotation—Bryan Woo is a free agent after 2029, and George Kirby (2028), Bryce Miller (2029), and Logan Gilbert (2027)—are all still in their pre-arbitration or arbitration years. That being said, the Mariners will continue to have a strong foundation for the future.