Seattle Mariners Catcher Goes Viral For Awesome "Players Weekend" Bat
![Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) looks to the Mariners dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park on Aug 16. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) looks to the Mariners dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park on Aug 16.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_11/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_mariners/01j5g9x2e9gz73vv2hk3.jpg)
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is already a popular player across Mariners' fandom, but he undoubtedly made a few new fans on Friday night when he debuted his custom Seattle SuperSonics bat for MLB's "Players Weekend."
Adam Jude of the "The Seattle Times" posted a picture of Raleigh's bat on social media:
Cal Raleigh has a ‘Bring ’em Back’ Sonics bat for Players Weekend, plus a Florida State one too.
Cal Raleigh has a ‘Bring ’em Back’ Sonics bat for Players Weekend, plus a Florida State one too. pic.twitter.com/OwxaLPWmwb
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) August 16, 2024
"Bring them back" is a popular refrain among Seattle sports fans who want to see the NBA bring a team back to Seattle. The Sonics left town (or were stolen, depending on how you ask) after the 2007-2008 season. They became the Oklahoma City Thunder at that point and have become one of the more successful franchises in the league. Though they've never won an NBA title as the Thunder, they did have James Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook all at the beginning of their careers. Durant and Westbrook also achieved great success and several All-Star berths with OKC. Durant did spend one year in Seattle, the final year before the team moved.
As NBA expansion talks ramps up, Seattle is always mentioned as a possible landing spot for a new team. When it happens, Seattle fans will be ready to embrace them with open arms.
But until then, people like Cal Raleigh are out here doing the job of reminding people about the Sonics importance to the city - and region.
The Mariners will be back in action on Saturday morning when they play the Pirates at 10:05 a.m. PT.
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