Blue Jays fans should be furious after hypocrite Cal Raleigh calls out pitching-tipping

As the Cash Box Kings express harmoniously: It ain't no fun when the rabbit got the gun. Seattle Mariners All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh is embodying those lyrics by doing a 180 on pitch tipping, and you know who hasn't forgotten his previous stance? Toronto Blue Jays fans.

Raleigh expressed frustration about Mariners standout closer Andrés Muñoz inadvertently telegraphing pitches, specifically sliders, in their 6-5 extra-inning loss to the New York Yankees. The slugger said the Bronx Bombers "weren't making it very discreet." Those watching conceivably noticed when a runner on second would flail his arms, so there's some validity to the comments.

Relaying signals is legal. The Yankees weren't breaking any rules; Raleigh, Muñoz and the Mariners must adjust accordingly. Moreover, as Blue Jays supporters remember, Seattle's backstop was at the center of a bench-clearing pitch-tipping incident with Toronto right-hander José Berríos not long ago. With the shoe on the other foot this time, the tone is much different.

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Cal Raleigh doesn't like pitch tipping when the tables are turned

In an April Blue Jays-Mariners meeting, Berríos had some words for Raleigh as the two returned to their respective dugouts. The former wasn't pleased with the latter tipping pitches, to say the least. They began jawing back and forth, then reinforcements from both sides came to diffuse the situation.

After the episode in Toronto, Raleigh not only denied Berríos' accusations but also affirmed the Blue Jays hurler's response to the claims. The MLB home run leader admittedly stated he'd want his teammates to react similarly if the roles were reversed.

"I’d want my pitchers doing the same thing," Raleigh said (h/t Ian Harrison of The Associated Press) regarding his heated exchange with Berríos. "If somebody thought they were tipping, I’d want them to say something. Just how it is. Competitive baseball game. People are right in the heart of it."

Nearly three months later, when push came to shove, Raleigh called out the Yankees for passing on information from the basepaths. While he acknowledged"it's part of the game," ($) his irritation that it cost the Mariners a contest they led 5-0 through seven innings is palpable. Meanwhile, not everyone agrees with him on the matter, namely Seattle manager Dan Wilson.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson disagrees with Cal Raleigh's Yankees pitching tipping take

"I think we just got ourselves into some tough counts and they were able to take advantage of it," Wilson voiced (h/t The Athletic).

It could merely be coachspeak. Nonetheless, Wilson ostensibly believes whatever Muñoz was (or wasn't) doing that the Yankees picked up wasn't why the Mariners lost. Or the skipper is trying to keep this in-house rather than publicly airing Seattle's dirty laundry. Either way, Raleigh is in the wrong and going back on his previous stance, and the Toronto faithful can rightfully take note.