‘Mental break’ delays Yankees’ Aaron Judge, Mariners’ Cal Raleigh 1st ’26 showdown

SEATTLE — Mariners fans booed Yankees captain Aaron Judge more than usual on Monday night because they’re still not over how the 2025 American League MVP vote turned out.

They didn’t even get a chance to cheer their guy for the start of the series opener with catcher Cal Raleigh getting a mental break not even a week into his follow-up to a 60-homer season.

Then in the home seventh, with the game tied 1-1 and the lead run on third base with one out, Raleigh was sent into pitch-run against Yankees left-hander Brent Headrick.

Might Cal struck out ... again.

Neither of the star players has had a great start to the season, but Judge contributed two homers while going 2-for-11 with seven strikeouts in the Yankees’ three-game sweep in San Francisco while Raleigh now is 2-16 with one RBI and 11 Ks in five games.

Carefully choosing his words, Mariners manager Dan Wilson explained Raleigh being out of his lineup so early in the season without an injury.

“Yeah, I think a day off for a catcher is always a mental reset,” Wilson said. “Not having to partake in the grind back there pitch-to-pitch and then take your ABs.

“In a lot of ways it’s a mental and physical off day.”

Raleigh, who started the Mariners’ first 34 games last season and 84 of 85 through June 30, didn’t hit much in spring training or in the World Baseball Classic when he was a Team USA teammate to Judge.

Counting spring, the WBC and the Mariners’ first four regular-season games, Raleigh is hitting below .200 with one homer and 28 strikeouts in 69 plate appearances. In the WBC, he was 0-for-9 in four games.

“Hitting is hard,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s hard for all of them, even the best of the best. Everyone goes through different little pockets in their career, even the really good ones who are going to play a long time. There are weeks where they’re a little bit off.

“There are all kinds of factors that go into a player sometimes where they are and their psyche and everything. You try and pay attention to that stuff as a a manager.”

Raleigh set a single-season MLB record for catchers switch-hitters mashing 60 homers last season, but finished second in the AL MVP voting.

Judge ended up with 17 of 30 first-place votes to Raleigh’s 13 and won for second year in a row and third time in four seasons.

“I thought it would be pretty close,” Boone said. “I kind of believed Judge would carry the day. I think they got it right.”

Judge finished second in the league with 52 homers, plus he won a batting title with a .331 average and was first in the AL in runs, walks and OPS.

Raleigh batted just .247, but his homers, catching and leadership helped the Mariners win a first AL West title since 2001.

““There’s no denying the all-around season that Cal had and it was deservingly a very tight race,” Boone said. “Phenomenal. He’s very good behind the plate, a leader on that team ... a team that got to the American League Championship Series. A big reason why was his all-around play.”

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.