If there’s one word to describe the 2025 Seattle Mariners, it’s “historic.” The club captured its first American League West title in nearly a quarter-century, powered by the greatest offensive season ever witnessed from a catcher.
Seattle has another chance to etch its name into the baseball history books on Friday night, when the Mariners host the Detroit Tigers for a decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series. The M’s are just 27 outs away from their first Championship Series appearance since 2001 — and a shot at their first pennant in franchise history.
But despite being back in the Pacific Northwest, the Mariners face a steep uphill climb against Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, who carved them up for seven innings of two-run ball in Game 2. Seattle needs contributions up and down the lineup — especially from MVP candidate Cal Raleigh.
First pitch at T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET. Detroit has the slight edge with -121 moneyline odds, while Seattle enters at -101. The total is set at six runs.
Ahead of Friday night’s win-or-go-home showdown, here is my favorite Cal Raleigh prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Cal Raleigh prop bet for AL Division Series Game 5
Raleigh entered October fresh off one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history. The 28-year-old — nicknamed “Big Dumper” — carried a .948 OPS and mashed a league-leading 60 home runs, becoming just the seventh player ever to reach that mark. He also paced the AL with 125 RBIs. Oh, and he did it all while taking a beating behind the plate on a daily basis.
Not only did Raleigh obliterate the Mariners’ single-season home run record, but he set a new benchmark for both catchers and switch-hitters — surpassing Mickey Mantle’s longstanding mark of 55.
That momentum carried into October. Through the first four games of the Division Series, Raleigh is 7-for-16 with a home run and four RBIs.
He struggled against Skubal in Game 2, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. Raleigh has largely scuffled against the Tigers’ ace over his career, but managed to take the eventual Cy Young winner deep back in April 2024. He also mashes lefties; against southpaws this season, Raleigh boasts a 1.032 OPS with 22 home runs and 39 RBIs.
Raleigh has built a reputation as one of the clutchest hitters in baseball. He’s the guy who ended Seattle’s two-decade playoff drought with a walk-off homer in 2022. He’s the guy who led the league with seven high-leverage home runs this season, per FanGraphs. And on Friday night, he’s the guy who could catapult the Mariners to the Championship Series with one historic swing of the bat.
