HOUSTON (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run to surpass Ken Griffey Jr. for Seattle’s single-season record, and the Mariners held on for a 6-4 win against Houston on Saturday night that gave them a two-game lead in the AL West over the Astros.
George Kirby (10-7) scattered five hits across six scoreless innings and struck out seven to help the Mariners clinch the season series.
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Houston Astros' Jake Meyers reacts after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
After being ejected from the game, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, left, argues with third base umpire Mike Muchlinski during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) walks to the dugout after being pulled from the game during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh (29) hits a solo home run, his 57th of the season, against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston is tied with streaking Cleveland for the final American League wild card, one game behind Boston with seven remaining.
All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz plunked Jake Meyers with a pitch to start the Houston ninth before walking Jeremy Peña. But right fielder Victor Robles made a diving catch on a ball hit by Carlos Correa, and Meyers was out on a double play to give Muñoz his 37th save.
Seattle, which has won 13 of 14, holds the second AL playoff seed just ahead of third-seed Detroit, which has dropped five straight.
The Mariners led by two in the third when Raleigh smacked a 95.5 mph sinker from lefty Framber Valdez into the bullpen in right-center field to make it 3-0 and eclipse Griffey's home run total in 1997 and 1998.
Seattle led by six with two outs in the seventh when Peña’s grand slam off Carlos Vargas got the Astros within 6-4. The Astros had runners on second and third with one out in the eighth, but Eduard Bazardo struck out Yainer Diaz before Gabe Speier came in and fanned pinch-hitter Christian Walker to end the threat.
The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth and Valdez was pulled after walking Josh Naylor to make it 4-0. Jayden Murray took over and pinch-hitter Dominic Canzone’s single to right field extended the lead to 6-0.
Valdez (12-11) yielded six hits and five runs with four walks in 4 2/3 innings for his fourth straight loss.
Houston manager Joe Espada and hitting coach Troy Snitker were ejected for complaining to plate umpire Shane Livensparger after Jesús Sánchez struck out looking for the second out of the fifth.
The catch by Robles.
Houston went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (5-6, 3.53 ERA) opposes RHP Jason Alexander (4-1, 4.04) when the series concludes Sunday night.
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Houston Astros' Jake Meyers reacts after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
After being ejected from the game, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, left, argues with third base umpire Mike Muchlinski during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) walks to the dugout after being pulled from the game during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh (29) hits a solo home run, his 57th of the season, against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.
Donald Trump isn't leaving it to future generations.
As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships that's yet to be built.
That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he attended a ceremony at his Florida home to mark the renaming of a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
“That’s a very important stretch," Trump said as he thanked local officials for the dedication.
“When people see that the beautiful sign is all lit up nice at night and it says ‘Donald J. Trump Boulevard,’ they’ll be filled with pride. Just pride," Trump said. “Not in me. Pride in our country.”
It’s unprecedented for a sitting president to embrace tributes of that number and scale, especially those proffered by members of his administration. And while past sitting presidents have typically been honored by local officials naming schools and roads after them, it's exceedingly rare for airports, federal buildings, warships or other government assets to be named for someone still in power.
“At no previous time in history have we consistently named things after a president who was still in office,” said Jeffrey Engel, the David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “One might even extend that to say a president who is still alive. Those kind of memorializations are supposed to be just that — memorials to the passing hero.”
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the TrumpRx website linked to the president's deals to lower the price of some prescription drugs, along with “overdue upgrades of national landmarks, lasting peace deals, and wealth-creation accounts for children are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership.”
"The Administration’s focus isn’t on smart branding, but delivering on President Trump’s goal of Making America Great Again," Huston said.
The White House pointed out that the nation's capital was named after President George Washington and the Hoover Dam was named after President Herbert Hoover while each was serving as president.
For Trump, it’s a continuation of the way he first etched his place onto the American consciousness, becoming famous as a real estate developer who affixed his name in big gold letters on luxury buildings and hotels, a casino and assorted products like neckties, wine and steaks.
As he ran for president in 2024, the candidate rolled out Trump-branded business ventures for watches, fragrances, Bibles and sneakers — including golden high tops priced at $799. After taking office again last year, Trump's businesses launched a Trump Mobile phone company, with plans to unveil a gold-colored smartphone and a cryptocurrency memecoin named $TRUMP.
That’s not to be confused with plans for a physical, government-issued Trump coin that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said the U.S. Mint is planning.
Trump has also reportedly told the owners of Washington’s NFL team that he would like his name on the Commanders’ new stadium. The team’s ownership group, which has the naming rights, has not commented on the idea. But a White House spokeswoman in November called the proposed name “beautiful” and said Trump made the rebuilding of the stadium possible.
The addition of Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center in December so outraged independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that he introduced legislation this week to ban the naming or renaming of any federal building or land after a sitting president — a ban that would retroactively apply to the Kennedy Center and Institute of Peace.
“I think he is a narcissist who likes to see his name up there. If he owns a hotel, that’s his business,” Sanders said in an interview. “But he doesn’t own federal buildings.”
Sanders likened Trump's penchant for putting his name on government buildings and more to the actions of authoritarian leaders throughout history.
“If the American people want to name buildings after a president who is deceased, that’s fine. That’s what we do,” Sanders said. “But to use federal buildings to enhance your own position very much sounds like the ‘Great Leader’ mentality of North Korea, and that is not something that I think the American people want.”
Although some of the naming has been suggested by others, the president has made clear he’s pleased with the tributes.
Three months after the announcement of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a name the White House says was proposed by Armenian officials, the president gushed about it at a White House dinner.
“It’s such a beautiful thing, they named it after me. I really appreciate it. It’s actually a big deal,” he told a group of Central Asian leaders.
Engel, the presidential historian, said the practice can send a signal to people "that the easiest way to get access and favor from the president is to play to his ego and give him something or name something after him.”
Some of the proposals for honoring Trump include legislation in Congress from New York Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney that would designate June 14 as “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day," placing the president with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington and Jesus Christ, whose birthdays are recognized as national holidays.
Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube has introduced legislation that calls for the Washington-area rapid transit system, known as the Metro, to be renamed the “Trump Train.” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell has introduced legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport.
McDowell said it makes sense to give Dulles a new name since Trump has already announced plans to revamp the airport, which currently is a tribute to former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
The congressman said he wanted to honor Trump because he feels the president has been a champion for combating the scourge of fentanyl, a personal issue for McDowell after his brother’s overdose death. But he also cited Trump’s efforts to strike peace deals all over the world and called him “one of the most consequential presidents ever.”
“I think that’s somebody that deserves to be honored, whether they’re still the president or whether they’re not," he said.
More efforts are underway in Florida, Trump’s adopted home.
Republican state lawmaker Meg Weinberger said she is working on an effort to rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport, a potential point of confusion with the Dulles effort.
The boulevard dedicated to Trump on Friday is not the first Florida asphalt to herald Trump upon his return to the White House.
In the south Florida city of Hialeah, officials in December 2024 renamed a street there as President Donald J. Trump Avenue.
Trump, speaking at a Miami business conference the next month, called it a “great honor” and said he loved the mayor for it.
“Anybody that names a boulevard after me, I like,” he said.
He added a few moments later: “A lot of people come back from Hialeah, they say, ‘They just named a road after you.' I say, ‘That’s OK.’ It’s a beginning, right? It’s a start.”
Supporters wave flags as President Donald Trump motorcades through West Palm Beach, Fla., along Southern Boulevard, the stretch of road being dedicated to him, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Attendees wait for President Donald Trump to arrive at a dedication ceremony for a portion of Southern Boulevard, which the Town of Palm Beach Council recently voted to rename,"President Donald J. Trump Boulevard," Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE - A sign for the Rose Garden is seen near the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade at the White House, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as a flag pole is installed on the South Lawn of the White House, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Workers add President Donald Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, after a Trump-appointed board voted to rename the institution, in Washington, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - A poster showing the Trump Gold Card is seen as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
