Prospect's ejection fires up Mariners, Edgar

CLEVELAND -- It was the fired-up flareup heard across Mariners social media circles bright and early on Saturday morning.

Cal Raleigh blew a gasket arguing balls and strikes in Triple-A Tacoma’s 7-2 win over Sacramento on Friday, but he drew praise from just about every prominent figure in the organization who commented on the ejection.

Seattle’s No. 7 prospect, who is in the midst of a 20-game hitting streak, made a comment to home-plate umpire Lew Williams after a middle-middle pitch was called a ball, but he didn’t break his crouch or turn around to do so -- not until Williams tossed him, at which point Raleigh popped up, spun around and unloaded.

This all occurred in a 1-1 count with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and no runners on. Basically, the game was moments away from ending.

“I was fired up to see Cal Raleigh get tossed out of the game,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said, laughing, from Progressive Field, where Seattle played Cleveland on Saturday. “The pitch was certainly right down the middle, and I'm sure he maybe said the magic word or whatever to the umpire and that was it.”

Even Edgar Martinez -- the Hall of Famer and arguably the best hitter in Mariners history -- chimed in on Twitter:

What impressed the club most was that Raleigh kept such intensity in a game that was seemingly over, and even more chiefly, that he went to bat for his pitcher, Aaron Fletcher. Interim manager Tony Arnerich was also ejected, but not until after he came out to argue for Raleigh.

“You know how hard it is for your pitcher, how he's working,” Servais said. “And I think [Raleigh] did it the right way. If you notice the clip, at least the clip that I saw, he didn't turn around and look at the umpire until after he was thrown out. And it's something you're taught as a young player, you can have a conversation with the umpire, but you never really want to show him up.

“And I'm sure he had a few choice words without looking at him, which didn't sit well with the umpire, then he got tossed out and then Cal lost his mind, which is fine. It was all good. So again, those plays come up. I love players with that kind of passion behind it.”

Earlier in the game, Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a double to extend his hit streak that dates to May 15, over which he’s hitting .400/.424/.729 (1.153 OPS) with five homers, one triple, 11 doubles, 18 RBIs, nine strikeouts and three walks in 92 plate appearances.

Could he be on the cusp of a Major League callup soon?

“He's making me a really strong case for an opportunity in the big leagues, and that's going to come sooner than later,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said this week.

If that’s the case, what’s the holdup, as some fans have pondered?

“It's not just about him going out having soft hands and putting together good at-bats,” Dipoto said. “It's about managing 13 or 14 pitchers and their stuff and the competitive nature of what they do night to night. And while we think Cal is among the most mature players in our system and absolutely has a grasp on that, we just want to see him do that day in and day out, which, frankly, he's doing.”

Also of note in Tacoma’s win: Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-4 with no strikeouts and a hustle double as he attempts to work out some of the kinks that led to his Minor League demotion on Monday after hitting .096/.185/.193 in his first stint in the Majors. And Evan White, playing in his first rehab game due to a hip injury, crushed a three-run homer.