John Schneider manager of the Toronto Blue Jays
Following his pivotal two-run home run in the 10th inning, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 6-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, catcher Cal Raleigh addressed remarks made by Blue Jays manager John Schneider last year, suggesting Schneider has contentious relationships within the league.
Raleigh, who boasts an impressive career 1.091 OPS against Toronto, acknowledged a question posed by a Seattle Times reporter regarding the pitch executed by Blue Jays lefty reliever Tim Mayza during Wednesday’s game.
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The context of the question stemmed from Raleigh’s performance last April, where he delivered two home runs against the Blue Jays, prompting Schneider to comment, “He’s not very tough to pitch to when you execute your pitches. He’s hitting .200. I know he’s done damage against us and I think if you execute, he’s obviously got big damage potential and he’s got a lot of strikeout potential, too, and when you execute your pitches, you usually get the job done.”
Responding to Schneider’s past remarks, Raleigh stated, “I know a lot of guys have beef with him in the league. His comments aren’t surprising, and I don’t have much to say. If you don’t have anything nice, don’t say it at all I guess, if you don’t want it to come back on you. Like I said, he’s got a lot of beef with people in the league and he kind of did it to himself.”
https://twitter.com/RyanDivish/status/1778187110450606337
While Raleigh’s current season statistics stand at .194/.256/.361, he has historically proven to be a formidable opponent for the Blue Jays. In 15 career games against Toronto, Raleigh has recorded a .264 batting average (14-for-53) with a double, nine home runs, and 16 RBIs. Notably, his nine home runs against Toronto and seven career home runs at Rogers Centre surpass any other single-team or opposing ballpark records.
Regarding Raleigh’s success at Rogers Centre, Schneider humorously remarked, “Maybe he’s part Canadian. Tip your hat to him, he likes hitting here and he likes hitting against us. (We) tried to flip him around right-handed. He’s got our number, we got to make some adjustments. Confidence is a funny thing when you’re playing this game and you step into the box.”
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