When Cal Raleigh sent his 19th home run of the season into the opponent bullpen beyond the left field wall in Tuesday’s Seattle Mariners win, he set an MLB record for the most runs by a catcher through the first 53 games of a season. It’s not that moment, per se, that notched him as a fan favorite in this market, but he keeps cementing that status with an unbelievable season.
There’s a big improvement Cal Raleigh has made that stands out
I’d argue that Raleigh has positioned himself, more than any other current Mariner, to join the current pool of untouchable Seattle athletes.
What makes them untouchable? Some had big personalities, others set league records, but all of them were fan favorites who could quite literally commit a crime and probably still be beloved in this city (writer’s note: please don’t commit crimes).
Untouchable
• 1. Ken Griffey Jr.
Self-explanatory. The most famous Seattle athlete ever and the most beloved.
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• 2. Ichiro
No one hates Ichiro. Nobody. Except for one cowardly Hall of Fame voter who refuses to reveal themselves.
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• 3. Edgar Martinez
I find it interesting that the top three names on this list are all Mariners, but there’s something about this trio that Seattle sports fans will always love. Edgar (first name only) holds the franchise records for RBI, total bases, and doubles (including the most famous double of his career and one of the most important plays in Mariners history).
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• 4. Marshawn Lynch
Shaun Alexander has the franchise record for rushing yards and touchdowns (by no small margin) and was an MVP, and people will still say Marshawn is the best Seahawks running back ever. I mean for goodness sakes I went to a wedding that played a Marshawn Lynch highlight during the reception. That’s a fan favorite.
One of the greatest runs in NFL history 💪
Marshawn Lynch unleashed the "Beast Quake" nine years ago today. (via @nflthrowback)pic.twitter.com/kQebCzRfI4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 8, 2020
• 5. Sue Bird
She’d be on a Mount Rushmore of Seattle athletes, is a certified Nice Person, and is the most decorated athlete on this list. The most important thing to fans: Bird spent her entire career with Seattle and was integral in all four WNBA championships won by the Storm.
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• 6. Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp
The Glove and the Reign Man. Two very solid nicknames and two exceptional players. You can’t talk about one without the other, so both belong here together. The Sonics being stolen adds to the protectiveness Seattle fans feel over former players here. And look, cast in point: Kemp literally just pled guilty to an assault charge and you probably still think he’s too low on this list.
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• 7. Bobby Wagner
Wagner will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and gets the added sympathy of being cut by the Seahawks twice, so there was no moment when he “turned his back on the team” and left via free agency or trade the way some other players (including some on this list!) have. He was the most dominant linebacker in football for the bulk of his career, becoming the only player (along with Aaron Donald) to have been named first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler for five or more consecutive seasons.
The @Seahawks' leading tackler in 2018, @Bwagz is a force to be reckoned with.
The LB's BEST plays of 2018 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/q4GhfQzGrF
— NFL (@NFL) February 17, 2019
• 8. Félix Hernández
King Félix’s greatness was never capitalized on by the only baseball team to never make it to the World Series, and that’s a tragedy that’s given him a special (and sad) place in the hearts of fans. He holds a number of franchise records and pitched a perfect game that stood as the last in MLB for over a decade before Domingo Germán pitched one for the Yankees in 2023.
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• 9. Cal Raleigh
I’d put Cal safely over the next name on this list, but he’s a newer entry still working his way up. Raleigh cemented himself as a fan favorite with the most important home run of the last 20 years: a pinch-hit bomb against the A’s that sent the Mariners to the postseason in 2022.
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• 10. Jake Locker
In theory Jake Locker doesn’t belong on this list over former NFL greats like Steve Largent or incredibly productive and underrated former Seahawks Doug Baldwin or Tyler Lockett. It’s a near laughable inclusion.
Instead, Locker’s here because he didn’t touch their productivity in the pros yet still remains a local hero. It’s the other end of the “untouchables” theory: there are some guys who are untouchable because they do things we’ve never seen before, and others who are untouchable because, well, they just are. You can’t explain it.
Locker doesn’t hold every UW record; he’s widely considered an NFL bust; he isn’t someone who soaks up the spotlight with hilarious or quotable moments. And yet… you won’t hear a bad thing about him. Every thirty-something I know has some story about playing against him in high school. It’s an inexplicable loyalty that Washingtonians have toward a former highly-touted recruit, and maybe you’ve got to be a local to understand why he found his way onto this one.
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Honorable mention (including picks from Michael Bumpus’ list): Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Lenny Wilkens, Steve Largent, Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, Jordan Morris, Jack Sikma, Brandon Roy.
A key dynamic that can help Seahawks’ new-look offense