SEATTLE — It seemed appropriate that the swing that made Cal Raleigh the Seattle Mariners all-time leader in homers by a catcher also was a late-inning, game-winning blast.

Raleigh clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the M’s a 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Raleigh’s third homer of the season was also the 96th of his career, passing Mike Zunino for the most hit by a catcher in an M’s uniform.

It wasn’t as majestic as some of his other long balls, but on a night when the M’s knocked out Jacob deGrom after four innings and watched the bullpen give away a two-run lead, it was a needed blast from the unofficial captain.

The inning started with Jorge Polanco continuing to hit and continuing to show he needs to find a way into the lineup every day. Polanco’s leadoff single against Chris Martin was his third hit of the game, which also included a line-drive homer in the first inning off deGrom.

Martin left a 1-0 cutter at the top of the strike zone and Raleigh, using one of the team’s newly-arrived "torpedo" bats, unloaded a 399-foot shot to retake the lead.

Rowdy Tellez also homered, just his second hit with the M’s, and J.P. Crawford added an important two-out, RBI single off deGrom the one time a run was manufactured. Leo Rivas walked, stole second and scored on Crawford’s looping single.

Andrés Muñoz allowed an infield single to Jonah Heim opening the ninth, but got Marcus Semien to ground into a double play to end it for his fifth save in six Mariners wins.

M’s starter Bryce Miller needed exactly 100 pitches to get through five innings. His outing felt like a fight with Miller spotting his fastball but at times losing the feel for his array of off-speed pitches. It led to some deep counts and long at-bats that elevated his pitch count in a hurry.

Miller pitched out of bases loaded jam in the first inning, the result of two walks and a bunt single, but still needed 30 pitches to escape the threat. He went to a three-ball count eight times in 20 batters faced and even with retiring the side in order in the second and third innings was still laboring to get through the fifth.

This start was not a picture of efficiency for Miller.

Despite the high pitch count, Miller was able to work through five innings and per MLB Statcast used eight different pitches. He struck out five, walked three and the only two hits he allowed had a combined exit velocity of 99.9 mph.

Josh Smith had the bunt single in the first inning, and the Rangers only run against Miller came when Adolis García walked, stole second and scored on Josh Jung’s looping single in the fourth inning.

But what Miller did in working his way through five innings was given away in the span of four batters in the sixth. Manager Dan Wilson went with Trent Thornton to face the middle of the Rangers’ order and the choice immediately backfired.

Thornton allowed a double to Josh Smith, hit García with a fastball, got Joc Pederson to ground into a double play, but then watch Jung go opposite field for his first homer of the season. The two-run shot barely cleared the wall and pulled the Rangers even at 3-3.

It stayed that way until the M’s “Big Dumper” came through with another big hit in the eighth.

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