Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn't about to let his comments from 2023 about Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh play a role in this year's American League Championship Series.
At the time, Raleigh was notable for his propensity to do damage against the Blue Jays, but over the past two seasons, the Mariners backstop has levelled up into a legitimate candidate to win the AL MVP.
"He’s not very tough to pitch to when you execute your pitches," Schneider said after Raleigh homered twice against the Blue Jays in a 10-8 Mariners win on April 30, 2023. "He’s hitting .200. I know he’s done damage against us, and I think if you execute, he’s obviously got big damage potential and he’s got a lot of strikeout potential, too, and when you execute your pitches, you usually get the job done.”
A year later, those comments resurfaced when Raleigh once again hurt Toronto, hitting a go-ahead home run in extra innings of yet another Mariners victory.
"I know a lot of guys have beef with him in this league. So his comments aren't surprising," he said. "I don't have much to say. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all, if you don't want it to come back on you."
Well, as the two sides match up with a trip to the World Series on the line, Schneider tried to diffuse any lingering tension before Sunday's Game 1 (Sportsnet, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT).
"Well, for one, that was me as a young interim manager saying what I said to try to fire up my team, which I obviously shouldn't have said," the Toronto skipper said. "Yeah, I think that you have to understand the kind of season that he's had, and you have to be aware of where he is at all times."
Raleigh, of course, has been one of MLB's premier power threats in 2025. The 28-year-old set multiple records by blasting 60 regular-season home runs while maintaining his solid defence behind the plate.
"I've got a ton of respect for him as a player and where he's taken his game to both at the plate and behind the plate to do it as well as he's done it, and to catch as many games as he catches," Schneider added.
For his career, Raleigh owns a 1.016 OPS against the Blue Jays, with 10 homers in 24 games — not including the four hits he collected in Toronto during the 2022 Wild Card Series.
So perhaps Schneider was wise to squash the beef before the action gets underway on Sunday night.
"I don't want that to be a narrative in this series at all," Schneider said. "I think he's a phenomenal player, and we're definitely going to be aware where he is in the lineup."
