SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit a two-run single in his return from the injured list, Logan Gilbert struck out a season-high 10 in seven strong innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Julio Rodríguez had an RBI single for the Mariners, who hold a slim lead in the AL West. Gilbert (5-4) combined with two relievers on a three-hitter.
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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Brandon Young throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners pitcher Andrés Muñoz shakes hands with catcher Cal Raleigh after their win over the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh prepares to bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning after his return from the injured list in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits a two-run single during the seventh inning in a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Raleigh, last year’s AL MVP runner-up who had been out since May 14 because of an oblique strain, broke a 1-all tie in the seventh. Batting from the right side against reliever Grant Wolfram with the bases loaded and one out, the switch-hitter sent a line drive to center field that scored Victor Robles and Colt Emerson.
Eduard Bazardo pitched a perfect eighth and Andrés Muñoz worked a one-hit ninth for his 11th save.
Gilbert gave up a leadoff double to Taylor Ward and a two-out RBI single to Samuel Basallo in the first, but retired his next 16 batters until hitting Pete Alonso with a pitch to start the seventh.
Seattle tied it in the third when Rodríguez lined a two-out single after Orioles starter Brandon Young (5-2) walked Miles Mastrobuoni and J.P. Crawford with one out.
Young gave up three runs and four hits in six-plus innings. He was removed after allowing an infield single to Robles and another single to Emerson in the seventh.
Crawford went 1 for 2 with two walks in his return from the injured list.
Orioles RHP Kyle Bradish (3-7, 4.30 ERA) faces Mariners RHP George Kirby (5-6, 4.07) on Wednesday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Brandon Young throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners pitcher Andrés Muñoz shakes hands with catcher Cal Raleigh after their win over the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh prepares to bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning after his return from the injured list in a baseball game, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits a two-run single during the seventh inning in a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi used the front of his white-and-blue, sweat-soaked jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes, a flood of emotions cracking his usually calm, confident demeanor after he gave Argentina an early lead in its World Cup opener against Algeria.
Then he scored again. And again.
Suddenly, any questions about Messi's hamstring injury, or whether he could help Argentina become the third team to win consecutive World Cups — even as his 39th birthday approaches next week — had been answered. With a brilliant hat trick in a 3-0 win over Les Fennecs, Messi moved into a tie with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the tournament's career scoring record.
“My tears after the first goal? I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to football. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said afterward, without elaborating. “I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”
Messi scored that emotional first goal in the opening minutes on a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second off an opportunistic rebound early in the second half, and the third on a crisp strike moments before subbing out to a standing ovation from a crowd of 69,045 tilted heavily toward the three-time World Cup champions.
“At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “He’s incredible.”
His incredible trio of goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro — he scored in that one, too — and made the pride of Rosario only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.
Messi has 16 goals in his record six World Cup appearances overall, and it seems inevitable that Klose's record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st of Messi's career, his 11th while playing in his national team colors and his first in the World Cup.
It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.
“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I’m living though now is the cherry on top,” Messi said. “I’m very happy an grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”
Messi upstaged two of soccer's other stars — Kylian Mbappé of France and Erling Haaland of Norway — who had big games of their own on Tuesday. Mbappé scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal to move into a tie for fourth on the World Cup goals list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in its 4-1 victory over Iraq.
“Messi is a madman,” Haaland said in a post on Snapchat during Argentina's game.
Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, which honors global soccer's best player, had no problems in a tuneup last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing 20 minutes in a sharp performance.
“This is my sixth World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape,” Messi said. “Fortunately, I’m doing well, and today we managed to win a tough match. It’s important to start the tournament with a victory in the first game, as that’s never easy in a World Cup.”
Messi's appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who will play his 229th on Wednesday, and Bader al-Mutawa, who played in 202 for Kuwait.
Messi and Ronaldo are the only players to have scored in five World Cups.
“Class is permanent,” Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “He's fortunate to have the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him, and supports him, and for a number of years now — decades — he's done incredible things.”
Argentina is among four national teams making their base camps in the Kansas City metro. And much as it has the rest of the world, Messi-mania has swept through the area ever since La Albiceleste's arrival in the Heartland about two weeks ago.
On match day, thousands of fans wearing his No. 10 jersey trekked into the home of the NFL’s Chiefs on the outskirts of Kansas City, singing odes to their hero. Meanwhile, during a watch party at the downtown Power & Light District, a goat accompanied by former NFL quarterback-turned Fox broadcaster Jameis Winston came on stage wearing an Argentina jersey.
The humorous moment seemed to have foreshadowed a big night for Messi when he scored an hour later, and the argument that he's soccer’s GOAT — the greatest of all time — is becoming no argument at all with every match he plays.
“It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) shoots and scores their third goal against Algeria's Riyad Mahrez (7) and Nabil Bentaleb (19) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi reacts after scoring his third goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring his second goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi is congratulated by teammate Cristian Romero, left, as Rodrigo de Paul, right, watches after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi, third left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) battles for the ball with Algeria's Fares Chaibi (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates with Rodrigo de Paul (7) after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
