Mariners’ Cal Raleigh laments not using ABS already in loss to Guardians

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Cleveland Guardians 6-4 on Opening Day. They slugged four solo home runs, but their bullpen could not hold onto the lead late. Mariners star Cal Raleigh came up in a huge spot in the eighth inning and struck out looking, but says he should have used ABS to challenge the call.

Cal Raleigh looked like he was on the cusp of making the Mariners’ first ABS challenge tonight on a called strikeout here in the 8th inning — and would’ve won had he done so.

But that instead remains the first out of a 1-2-3 frame. pic.twitter.com/xprb3L7exk

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 27, 2026

“Looking back, yeah, I should’ve done it,” Raleigh told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. “I didn’t think it was that far off. It was off. But it is what it is. You learn from it. I’m sure we’ll get more accustomed to it as the year goes on.”

If anyone on the Mariners should be acclimating to ABS quickly, it is Raleigh. As the team’s catcher, he is the only hitter who can utilize the system on defense. But it is still early, and Raleigh is fresh off the World Baseball Classic, where there was no ABS. All players, including the Mariners’ catcher, will get used to the system.

Last year, Raleigh launched into superstardom with 60 home runs and finished second in AL MVP voting. A sluggish WBC and a 0-3 start in the Mariners’ first game is not great, but there is plenty of time. Last year, Raleigh had just two home runs through 13 games, so he isn’t worried yet.

The Mariners made a lot of changes in the offseason, including adding Brandon Donovan. Coming over from the St Louis Cardinals, Donovan hit one of the four home runs on Opening Day. All of the Mariners will look to wash away a poor Opening Day loss on Friday when they face the Guardians again.

The post Mariners’ Cal Raleigh laments not using ABS already in loss to Guardians appeared first on ClutchPoints.