TORONTO — The biggest scare for the Seattle Mariners in two ALCS games in the former hotbox known as Rogers Centre had nothing to do with fastball crusher Vlad Guerrero and his mighty Blue Jays, who had just slugged .601 in sending the New York Yankees home. It was the sight of their irreplaceable foundational player splayed face down on the turf between the mound and home plate.
It was the fourth inning of ALCS Game 2, tied 3–3, when Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, after completing a difficult and quick-footed play on a swinging bunt, took his pratfall. If the length of time he was prone was even one or two seconds, it was an eternity to the Mariners, who rely on Raleigh more than any team relies on any one player.
