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NEW YORK — Attempting to avoid elimination against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS on Friday, the New York Mets will turn to lefty David Peterson for Game 5, manager Carlos Mendoza announced after the team’s Game 4 10-2 loss Thursday.

Peterson, 29, will be making his first start of the postseason after four relief appearances, including 2 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the series on Sunday.

The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series, three games to one.

“Facing an elimination game, he’s fully rested,” Mendoza said after the 10-2 loss on Thursday. “He’s been one of our starters — one of our best starters. We just feel like he’s going to give us the best chance.”

Peterson made 21 regular season starts, compiling a 2.90 ERA, but hasn’t thrown more than three innings in a game since the end of last month. He’s had two relief outings during the playoffs of 40 or more pitches, including in his Game 1 appearance. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in that contest, a 9-0 defeat to L.A.

“It means a lot to be able to get the ball in a situation like this,” Peterson said. “To have the confidence of many and the team and the coaching staff is huge…I feel ready to go, as deep as necessary. Looking forward to it. Ready to give every pitch I have.”

As expected, he’ll be opposed by Dodgers Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty. The veteran righty shut out the Mets over seven innings on just two hits in his first start of the series. He’ll be on normal rest as well.

“We just felt that tomorrow’s (Friday) the day,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So he’s lined up.”

The Mets are hoping for some better success off Flaherty, building off their at-bats in Game 4 — even though they lost. They had 10 hits and three walks in the game but managed just the two runs.

The position they’re in is reminiscent of their season overall. New York earned a playoff berth on the last day of the season then were down to their last out in the wild card round against the Milwaukee Brewers before rallying. Now they’ll have to do it again – winning the next three games — to keep their season alive.

“This group has responded so well to adversity all year,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “The one word I can think for the 2024 Mets, besides Grimace, is resiliency. That’s just who we are.”

Shortstop Francisco Lindor urged his teammates to learn from the last two days – both losses – insisting they “execute” better when they get runners on.

“If you don’t have any belief, you shouldn’t be here,” he said. “You have to fight for what you want. It comes down to one day at a time and executing.”

Peterson could use a little better execution as well. Before getting tagged for three runs in Game 1, he hadn’t given up a run all month. His best outing came against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS when he threw three scoreless innings.

The team could have chosen the strategy they used in that game, starting Kodai Senga and piggybacking Peterson but instead chose to let the five-year veteran start and pitch as long as he can. The Mets will need his best against the Dodgers who have scored 30 runs in the first four games of the series.

“I’m anticipating him making a regular start,” Mendoza said. “Our starters are one of the reasons we’re here, and we haven’t got length out of them…And here we are now.”

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Cal Raleigh Home Run Watch: After hitting No. 58 on Sunday, will the Big Dumper reach 60?

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Cal Raleigh Home Run Watch: After hitting No. 58 on Sunday, will the Big Dumper reach 60?

The Big Dumper just left the yard again!

In what has become a regular occurrence during Cal Raleigh‘s incredible 2025 season, the Seattle Mariners catcher added another home run to his 2025 total on Saturday — passing another MLB legend in the process — followed by one more on Sunday night.

Raleigh has already surpassed the record for home runs by a catcher and by a switch-hitter and set a Mariners franchise record, and who could forget his Home Run Derby triumph earlier this summer?

What record could Raleigh set next, how many home runs will he finish with and just how impressive is his season? We’ve got it all covered.

Raleigh must-reads: Raleigh’s road to homer history | Surprising 50-HR seasons | Best power half-seasons in MLB history


Raleigh’s current pace

Raleigh is now at 58 home runs and on pace for 60 with seven games left.

The American League record is 62, set by Aaron Judge in 2022, and there have been only nine 60-home run seasons in MLB history.


Who Raleigh passed with his latest home run

With his 58th home run on Sunday night, Raleigh moved past Luis Gonzalez and Alex Rodriguez on the all-time single-season home run list. With No. 57 the night before, Raleigh surpassed Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners franchise record of 56 — a number Griffey reached twice — in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Raleigh has joined Griffey as the only Mariners with 50 home runs (or even 45) in a season. Raleigh is also the first Seattle slugger with 40 homers in a season since Nelson Cruz in 2016.


Who Raleigh can catch with his next home run

After passing Mickey Mantle, Griffey and A-Rod with his most recent blasts, the next big question for Raleigh is if he can get to No. 60. But he is already in rare company as No. 59 would move him past Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg on the all-time single-season home run list.


Raleigh’s 5 most impressive feats of 2025

Most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter

With his 55th home run, Raleigh knocked Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 in 1961, from the top spot. Breaking Salvador Perez‘s record of 48 home runs by a primary catcher understandably got a lot of attention, but beating Mantle’s mark is arguably more impressive given how long the record stood and the Hall of Famer’s stature.

One of the best months ever for a catcher

In May, Raleigh hit .304/.430/.739 with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs. Only four catchers have hit more home runs in a calendar month and only eight with at least 100 plate appearances produced a higher slugging percentage. Raleigh was almost as good in June, hitting .300/.398/.690 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs, giving him two-month totals of .302/.414/.714 with 23 home runs and 53 RBIs. In one blazing 24-game stretch from May 12 to June 7, Raleigh hit .319 with 14 home runs.

Reaching 100 runs and 100 RBIs

Raleigh is sitting on 107 runs scored while leading the American League with 121 RBIs. Only eight other primary catchers have reached 100 in both categories in the same season — Mike Piazza did it twice, in 1997 and 1999, and he and Ivan Rodriguez were the last catchers to do it in ’99. Of the other catchers, seven are in the Hall of Fame (Piazza, Rodriguez, Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk). The lone exception is Darrell Porter, who reached the milestone with the Royals in 1979.

Tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s club record for home runs

Griffey hit 56 home runs for the Mariners in 1997 and 1998, leading the AL both seasons and winning the MVP Award in 1997 (he and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 are Seattle’s two MVP winners). Griffey had the advantage of playing in the cozy confines of the Kingdome in those years, although his home/road splits were fairly even. Raleigh, however, has had to play in a tough park to hit in, with 30 of his 56 home runs coming on the road, where his OPS is about 100 points higher. That marks only the 19th time a player has reached 30 road homers (by contrast, 30 homers at home has been accomplished 37 times).

An outside shot at most total bases by a catcher

With 337 total bases, Raleigh’s 2025 campaign is already one of only 20 catcher seasons with 300 total bases (yes, time at DH has helped him here). The record is 355, shared by Piazza in 1997 and Bench in 1970 (both played 150-plus games in those seasons). Raleigh would need a strong finish to get there but could at least move into third place ahead of Perez’s 337 total bases in 2021. Not counted in Raleigh’s total bases: his 14 stolen bases!

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Raleigh’s 58th HR fuels Mariners’ sweep of Astros

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Raleigh's 58th HR fuels Mariners' sweep of Astros

HOUSTON — Seattle Mariners star Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 58th home run on Sunday night, a two-run shot in the second inning against the Houston Astros.

The Mariners were up 5-0 after a grand slam by J.P. Crawford in the second when Raleigh, who was batting left-handed, connected off Jason Alexander for his home run to right field to extend the lead.

The shot came a night after Raleigh passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise’s single-season home run record with his 57th. Griffey hit 56 in 1997 and in 1998.

Raleigh also has surpassed Mickey Mantle‘s MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. And Raleigh has set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021.

Raleigh is five home runs ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who are tied for second place with 53 apiece.

The Mariners won 7-3 to complete a three-game sweep that gave them a three-game lead in the American League West over the Astros with six remaining.

Seattle, which has won four straight and 14 of 15, holds the second AL playoff seed by two games over AL Central-leading Detroit, which has dropped six in a row. The Mariners, looking to win the AL West for the first time since 2001, finished 8-5 against the Astros this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brewers celebrate division title, feel like underdogs

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Brewers celebrate division title, feel like underdogs

ST. LOUIS — As celebratory prosecco and beer poured down his face, Christian Yelich soaked in the satisfaction of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ third straight NL Central Division title.

“This is the why,” Yelich said Sunday after the Brewers clinched, courtesy of the Cubs1-0 loss in Cincinnati. “This is why everything’s harped on throughout the year. Why we pay attention to detail, why there’s tough love throughout the season, why you keep grinding and why you keep trying to get better is for these moments — the fact that you can celebrate with your teammates.”

Carrying the best record in baseball, the Brewers won their fourth division title in the past five seasons and yet feel like the underdogs as the playoffs loom.

“In baseball, any team could beat anybody, especially in short series. Obviously, we’re not going to be favored. Everyone’s going to kind of point to our question marks and how there’s other teams that have more experienced players and, on paper, super talented rosters,” Yelich said. “But I think that gives our team a freedom. Nobody thinks that you’re going to be able to do this. So go out there and just play.”

Milwaukee lost Willy Adames to free agency and traded away closer Devin Williams in the offseason, and it was unclear what contributions veterans Brandon Woodruff (shoulder surgery) and Yelich (back) would be able to provide.

Both were able to be key players, although Woodruff’s status for the postseason is in question after he went on the injured list Sunday with what the team described as a moderate lat strain.

“Are we the most talented? No. Are we going to go up against teams far more talented with four times the payroll? Sure, but it doesn’t bother this team,” manager Pat Murphy said.

Since 2018, the Brewers have lost in the wild-card round four times, in the division series once and in the NL Championship Series once. The franchise’s only pennant came in 1982.

“I heard somebody say we’ve got the regular season figured out, now we’ve got to figure out the playoffs. That’s one of the most absurd comments I’ve ever heard,” Murphy said, emphasizing his squad’s body of work.

After losing 5-1 to St. Louis, the Brewers had to wait less than a half hour before the Cubs’ game ended. The team put on navy blue “division champs” shirts, sprayed bottles of chilled prosecco and dumped cans of beer on each other’s heads.

A blue flag with late announcer Bob Uecker’s signature hung in the soaked visitors locker room.

Owner Mark Attanasio suggested there was some “Brewer magic or Uecker magic” in this team.

“It’s really just the culture. We show up every spring training with the goal of winning the division,” said Sal Frelick, in his third year with Milwaukee. “So, it’s been great. I’m fortunate to be able to do it every year.”

The Brewers gathered on the Busch Stadium infield for a team photo and were about to disperse when Murphy came up the stairs from the dugout, almost left out of the moment.

“When we started the year, nobody thought we’d be here at this point. Obviously, we’ve had our share of injuries. Nobody could have imagined we’d be in this spot right now,” Woodruff said.

The Brewers were at their best during a 29-4 stretch in July and August, turning a four-game deficit into a commanding nine-game advantage in the division.

“We’ve done a heck of a job as a group to get to this point,” Woodruff said. “And you know what? There’s still a lot of baseball left for the Brewers.”

Last year, they won the Central by 10 games before dropping the wild-card series to the Mets — losing the decisive Game 3 after Williams squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Pete Alonso‘s three-run home run was the key.

To Murphy, who took over as Milwaukee’s skipper before this past season, that’s the fickle nature of the playoffs.

“It takes a lot of things to go your way, and sometimes having great talent helps that,” Murphy said. “I don’t worry about this team, and I don’t worry about what anybody says about this team. I get to live it every day and see how special they are.”

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