A day after strongly calling out the team's commitment to winning, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh apologized to his teammates and coaches Sunday for his remarks.
"Obviously yesterday was a really emotional day for everybody," Raleigh said Sunday, referencing the team's elimination from playoff contention after a 6-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
"I just want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, fans. It wasn't a time to talk about what-ifs in that scenario," Raleigh continued, speaking before Sunday's final game of the season for only about 90 seconds. He did not take any questions from reporters.
"That being said, I'm not going to apologize for wanting to win and wanting to bring a World Series to the city," Raleigh said. "They deserve it, the fans do, and our organization does, and I'm committed to doing that."
The Mariners had hovered around .500 this season until strong play in August steered them into fighting position for a playoff spot. However, they seemed to run out of gas as the season end neared, winning only 11 games in September.
After being officially eliminated after Saturday's loss, Raleigh expressed his frustration.
"Anytime you can add, I mean look over in (Texas') locker room right there, they've added more than anybody else and look where it got them," Raleigh said Saturday. "There's more than one way to skin a cat, that's for sure. But going out and getting those big names, people who have done it, people who have been there, people who are leaders, people who have shown time and time again that they can be successful in this league is definitely what would help this clubhouse."
On Sunday, he seemed eager to directly address his fellow Mariners.
"That being said, I love all my teammates and coaches over there and I'd do anything for them," Raleigh said. "I really thought we had the pieces to win this year. We came up short, and that falls on me as the team leader, as one of the main players every day."
The Mariners defeated the Rangers 1-0 on Sunday to finish 88-74 and third in the American League West Division.
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