This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here . And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- The “MVP” chants echoed louder than ever for Cal Raleigh during the Mariners’ homestand this week, and those roars of support at T-Mobile Park are carrying as much credence as ever as the race for the sport’s top individual honor comes down the stretch.

That's because Raleigh’s case for the American League MVP Award is as strong as it's been all season -- and at the opportune time.

The Mariners’ catcher has been in a two-man race with Aaron Judge virtually all year, but for the first time, Raleigh passed the Yankees star and two-time winner in the third and latest poll from MLB.com , earning 22 of the 37 f

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