Luke Raley of the Seattle Mariners got “perfect hearing” for a bold bunt

Monday’s 8-4 victory of the Seattle Mariners over the White Sox is an event that fans should remember for a long time. And when they look back, they can remember the brave bunt just like Cal Raleigh’s grand slam that came out of Chicago in the bottom of the ninth inning and sent everyone home happy.

Rick Rizzs radio talk about Cal Raleigh’s big salami is an instant classic

Raleigh might never have gotten the chance to end Monday’s game in such dramatic fashion if it weren’t for what Luke Raley did earlier in the inning.

With runners on the corners and two outs, Raley threw a perfectly placed bunt to White Sox third baseman Lenyn Sosa, who could do nothing but hold on to the ball after receiving it, watching as Raley reached first base and Josh Rojas scored goal match 4-4.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Raley’s bunt was the field he performed it on. It was a 99-mph fastball after a 1-1 count by White Sox shortstop Michael Kopech, and the pitch could have clipped Raley’s shoulder if he hadn’t managed to get the bat down.

Seems like a pretty hard topic to rebel against, right? Well, prepare to be surprised by what Raley said on the field immediately after the win in an interview with Seattle Sports Radio.

“He actually gave me the perfect reason to rebel,” Raley told Mariners insider Shannon Drayer.

Okay, so how does it work?

“It came off the slab and up – it gives me plenty of room to drop it down and take it where I want it,” Raley continued. “It’s hard, but it’s one of those things where you just have to be patient, throw down the rebellion and run as hard as you can.”

Raley’s “Rebellion”.

Despite his 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, the sneaky speedy Raley has had no problem getting on base via bunt this season. According to Mariners Radio Network broadcaster Gary Hill Jr., Raley’s RBI single on Monday leaves him just four hits shy of Shawn O’Malley’s nine bunt hits in 2016, the most in the Statcast era for a Mariners hitter.

The The Mariners PR department shared some other noteworthy stats associated with Raley’s rebellion. It was the first tie-breaking or decisive bunt RBI hit by a Seattle player since July 30, 2002, when Mark McLemore singled in the 10th inning to beat the Detroit Tigers with a bases-loaded RBI single. As for this season, Raley is tied for the MLB lead with Washington’s Jacob Young with five hits.

Raley celebrates with her puppy after winning the Bark in the Park night game. pic.twitter.com/hNuIyOihee

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) June 11, 2024

Raley and the American League West’s top-ranked Mariners (38-30) continue their four-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m., and the Seattle Sports radio broadcast begins with a pregame show at 5:30 p.m. Click here for details on how to stream Mariners Radio Network broadcasts from Seattle Sports.

Listen to Shannon Drayer’s full interview with Mariners outfielder Luke Raley at this link or in the video or audio player at the top of this post.

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