Cal Raleigh Walks Off Yankees, Mariners Take One-Run Win Despite Missed Chances
The Mariners exited the weekend four-game set against the Guardians having scored nine more runs than their opponents but with just as many losses as wins. One-run games on Thursday and Saturday both went against the hosts, with the team seemingly figuring out how to deploy its roster in close matchups.
Seattle faced another one-run game against a 3-0 Yankees team on Monday night, and although the pitching was filthy, both the defense and offense seemed to have a bad case of the Mondays, letting several opportunities slip past at the dish and serving up a key non-out to New York in the seventh. But all’s well that ends well, and none other than Cal Raleigh knocked the winning run home in the bottom of the ninth to put all the night’s adversity behind them.
Luis Castillo notches his 1500th strikeout against Aaron Judge to cap off six shutout innings.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo isn’t the ace he once was. His once-elite grounder rate from his time with the Reds fell to around league average in his last few years with the Mariners, and his above average ratio of homers to fly balls in 2025 suggested he got on the good side of the Seattle marine layer. Still, his decline into his 30s has thus far been a graceful one, with a 3.54 ERA and 3.88 FIP last year.
Huskies Coaches Optimistic Heading Into Tuesday’s Spring Football Start
SEATTLE, Wash. — Looking to take another step forward, Jedd Fisch and his Washington Huskies football team begin spring football on Tuesday full of optimism.
It may seem like an eternity until the season kicks off with the Apple Cup on Sept. 5, but the hopes are high on Montlake after a 9-4 season in 2025. Spring ball will once again be spread out over five weeks, with Spring Game scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 1. During the first four weeks, Washington will hold practices open to fans and media 3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as Saturdays 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. through April 25.
While some components of the team are settled, spring will serve as an opportunity for coaches to begin determining how positions such as running back and offensive line will shake out this season. Here are some of the things we learned while meeting with all the coaches on Monday.
Hancock Stuns in First 2026 Outing, Mariners Thump Guardians 8-0
It all seemed to come together on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the first or third game of the series, where the Mariners kept it close but fell in the end thanks to some bullpen mismanagement, defensive miscues, and lethargic hitting - and unlike the second game, where two timely homers brought them to victory - there wasn’t a single moment of the fourth game between Seattle and the Cleveland Guardians where it seemed the pressure was on for the home crew.
Hitters up and down the lineup did their duty, the defense looked good, and that whole tone was set when a once-touted prospect whose bad luck had eaten his star finally seemed to turn a corner.
Hancock impresses in first 2026 start, tossing six no-hit innings and setting a career high in strikeouts.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock came into 2026 with one more chance to become a major league starter. The former first-round draft pick has pitched to a 4.81 ERA, 5.23 fielding independent pitching (FIP), 1.359 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had particularly struggled with control even more than walks as such, with errant pitches forcing him to groove a strike or two and get punished in bad situations.
Tomas Thrastarson, Parker Gerrits Enter Portal as Cougars’ Roster Shakeup Continues
The Washington State Cougars men's basketball lost two more names to the transfer portal, as Tomas Thrastarson and Parker Gerrits have announced their decision to enter and pursue a new school for 2026-27.
Thrastarson, a Thorlákshöfn, Iceland native, appeared in 19 games this past season after missing roughly a month and a half due to an ankle injury. He averaged 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field, 28.8% from three-point range, and 73.8% from the free-throw line.
Gerrits originally joined Washington State as a walk-on before eventually earning a scholarship. Known as a strong defender on a team that struggled at times on that end of the floor, he played a limited role during his time in Pullman.
Seawolves Break Century Mark Hosting Hartford Harpooners in Preseason
TUKWILA, Wash. - Before Major League Rugby, post-collegiate American rugby was a patchwork game. It still is, at least beyond the six teams that now make up the top echelon of the sport.
The Seattle Seawolves played host to a part of that patchwork on Saturday afternoon. The Hartford Harpooners, an amateur team from the other side of the country, flew over to Seattle for a preseason match as the Seawolves gear up for the 10-game regular season. This wasn't the Seawolves' first rodeo either of the preseason - they played the Stormers' second team in Cape Town on Sunday - or with the Harpooners, who they previously hosted in 2022.
Back then, with a more diffuse talent pool in the MLR, the Seawolves came out ahead 50-0 over their amateur opponents. Perhaps in a display of MLR’s talent jump since, Seattle won 111-3. Or maybe, as I’ll explain, it might have been 113-3.
Woo Strong Early, Mariners Falter Late in Extra-Innings Heartbreaker to Guardians
The Seattle Mariners entered Saturday night’s contest like one of your old roommates - still searching for singles. They checked that box, but it still wasn’t enough.
After a strong five-plus from Bryan Woo, Cleveland’s lineup scratched across three runs late at T-Mobile Park. Despite a late comeback in the ninth, the Mariners folded in extra innings as the Guardians won 6-5.
Woo strong but two-out rally in sixth spoils stellar start
Mariners starter Bryan Woo allowed just one baserunner through his first four innings of work, pumping his elite fastball time and time again: 59 of his 83 pitches on Saturday were the four-seamer, which stayed in the top half of the zone for five frames.
Reign Continue Spokane Success with 2-1 Win Over Louisville
The Seattle Reign have found themselves quite a home east of the Cascades.
The team, set for three straight games in Spokane while Lumen Field finishes World Cup renovations, finished the second fixture of that stand with a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville on Saturday afternoon. Maddie Mercado struck first on a keeper error in the 10th minute before Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir turned a smooth team play into the team's second goal right before the half.
Although a late stoppage-time Louisville goal spoiled a would-be clean sheet, Claudia Dickey and the Seattle defense were superb in shutting down a Racing side missing one of the league's brightest stars in Emma Sears. With the result, the Reign improved to 3-1-0, with all their contests coming away from the Emerald City as the team is just under a month away from returning to its home pitch in SoDo.
By the end of Saturday’s match, however, those two first-half chances for Seattle outweighed anything Louisville could produce despite 19 shots by the final whistle.
"I think it might be a conversation about moving (to Spokane)," Reign head coach Laura Harvey joked postgame.
Mariners Turn Three Hits into Five Runs, Tie Opening Guardians Series
The Seattle Mariners still haven’t hit a single through the first two games of the season. That didn’t matter on Friday night.
Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams may have spun good enough stuff to punch out seven Mariners, but he also walked six, and timely round-trippers from Cole Young and Luke Raley put the M’s far ahead of the visitors and brought the team to its first win of the year.
“Furious George” deals with early homer and puts together a quality start to begin his 2026.
Chase DeLauter’s prospect stock is about as high as can be right now. After mashing two home runs in his regular season debut on Opening Day, day two hurler George Kirby became the third Mariner to foolishly leave a pitch on the lower inside part of the plate, exactly where the 24-year-old rookie likes it.
Redhawks Begin Offseason by Retaining Will Heimbrodt
Less than a week after the Seattle U Redhawks season ended at the hands of the Auburn Tigers in the NIT, the most important domino already fell in the right direction to kick off the program’s offseason.
Announced via social media, the Redhawks have resigned standout forward Will Heimbrodt, who won’t enter the transfer portal. Heimbrodt has two more years of eligibility and will stay in the Emerald City for his redshirt junior season as the team’s top returning scorer.
Heimbrodt became a full-time starter for the Redhawks this season and made the most of it. He finished averaging 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game on 42% shooting from the field. While there were notably moments where he struggled to juggle an increased shot creating responsibility as a key part of coach Chris Victor’s offense, he played his best basketball late in the year as the team advanced to the second round of the NIT.
Old Mariners Bugbears Continue Biting in Opening Day Loss to Guardians
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s hard to say there wasn’t an air of that feeling in T-Mobile Park after the Mariners dropped their Opening Day contest 6-4 thanks to some shoddy relief work, unimpressive defense, and one-trick offense.
Four solo home runs were all the production the M’s could muster, and in a lot of games against the Cleveland Guardians, that might be enough (they scored slightly less than four runs per game last year). But Logan Gilbert once again struggled to go deep, outfielders lacked urgency on fly balls with men on base, and Gabe Speier caught the bad end of some J-Ram magic with men on base.
But for all the lingering of long-lamented woes, the newest guy on the roster burst his way onto the scene in a big way.
Brendan Donovan made the best first impression possible as the M’s new leadoff man.
The Mariners franchise is entering its 50th season this year, having notched its first game in the books all the way back on April 6, 1977. In all that time, no leadoff Mariner had hit a home run in his first at-bat of Opening Day. Not Dave Collins all the way back in that first season nor Harold Reynolds in the late ‘80s nor Ichiro in his Hall-of-Fame Mariners career. Of the 49 season-inaugural batters, not one had left the yard in that first at-bat.
Huskies Receive Commitment from 4-Star Defensive Tackle Jon Ioane
Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch speaks often about getting bigger to compete in the Big Ten, and the Huskies tipped the scales toward that end with a commitment from Class of 2027 defensive lineman Jon Ioane on Thursday.
Iona, listed at 6-3, 295 pounds, plays on both sides at the line at Tustin (Calif.) High School. He chose UW over Penn State, UCLA, Stanford and Cal. Rated a 4-star “Athlete” recruit in 247Sports composite rankings because of his two-way abilities, Ioane is the 267th-ranked overall national recruit and No. 24 in California.
Sounders Trade Georgi Minoungou to Colorado for $2 million
The Seattle Sounders continue to stockpile money and assets, trading Burkina Faso national winger Georgi Minoungou to the Colorado Rapids for $2 million in general allocation money (GAM) on Thursday, per Niko Moreno of Sounder at Heart and confirmed by Tom Bogert of The Athletic.
Georgi, 23, is one of the most dynamic dribblers in the MLS. He came into the league by way of the team's MLS Next Pro side, Tacoma Defiance, before earning a contract through 2029 with the first team. In 34 MLS matches with the team, Georgi scored two goals and picked up 11 starts, usually manning a "super sub" role to add a punch to head coach Brian Schmetzer's offense.
Georgi has been dealing with a lingering foot injury, missing a few games for Seattle before returning to start in the team's 0-0 draw with Minnesota this past Sunday.
Reign Bounce Back in Spokane, Revive Offense Against Current
The rearview mirror.
That's where the Seattle Reign put last Friday’s 2-0 loss to the nine-player their rival Portland Thorns with a 3-0 win over the defending NWSL Shield champion Kansas City Current on Wednesday night at ONE Spokane Stadium.
Angrahad James-Turner opened the scoring in the 18th minute with her first goal since 2024, while Brittany Ratcliffe found her second goal with the team, and Maddie Mercado netted her first goal of 2026. Sofia Huerta, the NWSL's all-time assist leader, had a hand in the last two goals to push her career assist tally to 33 as the Reign improved to 2-1-0.
Keeper Claudia Dickey also picked up the clean sheet, as her 14th career zero-spot moved her into first place in club history.
With Lumen Field nearing the end of its World Cup renovations, the team is spending its next two games east of the Cascades. It's safe to say this midweek shellacking of a rotating Current side (1-2-0) was a good way to get things rolling.
Mariners Release Opening Day Roster; Crawford, Miller Notably Absent with Injury
With opening day right around the corner for the Seattle Mariners - at 7:10 p.m. Pacific on Thursday against the Guardians - the team has released its first 26-man roster for the 2026 season. The top of the depth chart, of course, is very much all over the M’s roster, from returning superstars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez to new additions like Brendan Donovan and Jose A. Ferrer.
But of course it is not all sunshine and roses for the defending AL West champions. Longtime shortstop J.P. Crawford is out for the beginning of the year with a shoulder injury while Bryce Miller is working through an injury of his own, leaving holes in the middle infield and the back of the rotation. Leo Rivas is going to get some playing time at short in the meantime (and perhaps Cole Young might swivel
NBA Expansion: Exploration Has Begun, So What’s Next For Potential Sonics Return?
It’s looking like it may only be a matter of time before the NBA is back in Seattle.
The NBA’s board of governors approved a vote — which got a yes from all 30 league owners — for the league to begin exploring bids for potential franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, formally beginning a process that would bring back the SuperSonics if completed.
The first step is complete, and while the chances of the NBA’s return to the Emerald City are becoming more and more likely, it’s still not a certainty. However, for the first time since the Sonics left in 2008, there is hope.
Longer Seasons Incoming For WNBA, Seattle Storm Fans
Longer WNBA seasons are on the near horizon for Seattle Storm basketball fans.
The WNBA board of governors unanimously ratified the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players union on Tuesday, per the Associated Press, leaving just the long-form document to be written up before the agreement is finalized.
Included in the new CBA, in addition to the landmark increases in salaries for players, is the framework for substantially longer seasons, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Kendra Andrews.
Transfer Portal Strikes Early for Washington State Cougars
Even though the college basketball transfer portal doesn’t officially open until April 7 and the NCAA Tournament still has a ways to go before crowning a new champion, a couple of Washington State Cougars have already announced their intentions to explore other opportunities and depart Pullman.
With the portal closing on April 21, it remains unclear how the rest of the roster will shake out heading into next season, but it’s possible other Cougars could decide to at least test the waters before the portal opens next month.
Seahawks Reward Jaxon Smith-Njigba With Record-Breaking Extension
Striking a deal early in free agency with a contract extension being a top priority for the organization, the Seattle Seahawks have locked up one of their biggest foundational pieces for the next half decade.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Seahawks and superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have agreed to terms on a four-year, $168.6 million mega deal worth a record-setting $42.15 million per year. Under the terms of the contract, he will also receive more than $120 million in guarantees, the most ever for a wideout in NFL history.
Enjoying a historic breakout in his third season with the Seahawks and more than earning his market-setting contract, the 24-year-old Smith-Njigba emerged as one of the league’s best weapons for the eventual Super Bowl champions, snagging 119 receptions for an NFL-best 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns from quarterback Sam Darnold. Per TruMedia, he finished with 42 explosive receptions, seven more than any other receiver in the league, while posting a remarkable 35.3% explosive reception rate on a whopping 163 targets.
Mariners Reportedly Go with Garver for Backup Catcher; Right or Wrong Move by Dipoto?
Mitch Garver already returned to the Mariners organization thanks to some advice from Cal Raleigh, but with Spring Training nearly in the rear-view mirror, it’s being reported that he’s going to make the jump back to the bigs for another year. With this decision, it’s likely that Andrew Knizner - who signed a $1 million guaranteed contract in the offseason - will be designated for assignment, though he can be outrighted to Triple-A if he clears waivers. Jhonny Pereda, who is on the 40-man roster, will probably also return to Triple-A to start the season, though this would mark his last minor league option.
Garver was quite appreciative of Raleigh’s efforts to bring him back, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.
“It means a lot that he would want me to come back and be there for him whenever he needs to take a breather,” Garver said. “So, I'm happy to do it. Happy to just put on the gear and catch guys when they need me the most and couldn't be [happier] to be where we're at.”
Bringing Garver up was a $2.25 million dollar decision, financially, as that’s what Garver was guaranteed to make if he made the MLB roster at any point. So what went into the decision to bring him back for another year?
Sounders Draw with Minnesota in Scoreless Grudge Match
The Seattle Sounders played to a 0-0 draw with Minnesota United on Sunday morning, which eliminated Seattle in a dramatic three-game series last season.
The Seattle Sounders went into Allianz Stadium looking for a fifth consecutive win away from Lumen Field. They got about a third of what they bargained for, playing to a 0-0 draw with the Loons to move to 3-1-1 on the young season.
Minnesota played its usual low block, dropping five defenders back and daring Seattle to beat them without giving up transition chances. Both sides generated around one expected goal, as there were moments of brilliance, especially toward the end of the game.
In the end, the Sounders kept their fifth clean sheet of the year as they head into a short international break in the middle of the Western Conference standings.
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