Katherine Clark logged the first WNBA farewell game in league history with 45 points and 10 assists. Cal Raleigh spoke candidly about the slump and finding Seattle’s identity. Meanwhile, three key Mariners pitchers are nearing a return to action.
Katherine Clark sets a historic WNBA record: 45 points and 10 assists
In a regular-season WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Seattle Storm, an event occurred that will go down in league history. Katherine Clark, the main star of the Indiana team, scored 45 points and added 10 assists, recording the first-ever WNBA “40-10” farewell game (40+ points and 10+ assists in a game). Her team won 110–107, and Clark set not only a new personal scoring record, but also a new mark for reaching 200 made three-pointers in a career at the fastest pace.
In total, it took 74 games—Clark’s path to 200 accurate shots from beyond the arc. The previous record belonged to Katie Smith, who needed 81 games. This run highlights Clark’s unique playing style: she turned the long-range shot into her primary weapon. In an ESPN report cited by the authors of the piece, it’s noted that in addition to 45 points and 10 assists, Clark also recorded four steals and two blocks—an excellent display of versatility.
However, the Fever’s success (they now have 15 wins and 10 losses this season) would not have been possible without the support of her teammates. Kelsey Mitchell scored 30 points, and Monika Billings added 16, giving Clark room to attack. On the Seattle side, Dominique Milionea stood out, tallying 28 points and 14 rebounds. Despite her efforts, the Storm suffered their fourth straight loss.
This game is more than just a statistical oddity. It shows how Katherine Clark is changing the usual assumptions about what one player can do within team play. Previously, 40 points and 10 assists were viewed as a combination more typical of men’s basketball—but now the WNBA has produced its first such performance. For the league, it’s an important growth milestone: Clark is drawing huge spectator attention, and her records are helping popularize women’s basketball. As Indiana solidifies its spot in the standings, Seattle will need to urgently find ways to slow down the opponent’s offense.
You can find the full footage of this historic game on ESPN.
“The game is challenging us”: Cal Raleigh on the crisis and Seattle’s rebirth
Cal Raleigh, the star catcher for the Seattle Mariners, is going through one of the toughest stretches of his career. In an interview with a reporter from The Seattle Times, he broke down in detail the reasons behind his slump, his internal struggles, and how the team plans to dig itself out of the crisis for the remainder of the season. The conversation was unusually candid—without excuses and without the stock phrases athletes often use.
Raleigh recalled how in the summer of 2022 he was sent to the farm club after a dreadful start—just 2 hits in 24 plate appearances. Then he called his father, a long-time coach, and was reminded of a simple mantra hanging on the wall in their home: WIN. It wasn’t only about winning games, though it was about that too. The abbreviation stands for “What’s Important Now?”—“What’s important right now?” The principle helped Raleigh back then get his way out, launch 27 home runs in the season, and become a playoff hero. But after three seasons in which he became “Big Dumper” and hit 159 home runs across 632 games, the familiar feeling of disappointment returned.
The first half of 2025 was a disaster for the 29-year-old catcher: 65 games, 280 plate appearances, only 9 home runs, 91 strikeouts, and a bleak OPS of .581. The story began back in spring: after participating in the World Baseball Classic with the U.S. national team, Raleigh lost his rhythm, and then suffered a oblique strain injury, which meant he landed on the injured list for the first time in his career for nearly five weeks. Mariners club president Jerry Dipoto noted that for a routine player like Raleigh, a disrupted preparation was fatal: “He was trying to catch up for what he missed, and that led to overloading and injury. Everything is logical.” Raleigh refuses to look for excuses. He doesn’t regret going to the WBC, and he doesn’t want to chalk up failures to the consequences—his job as a professional is to be ready regardless of circumstances.
The contrast with last year’s numbers is especially painful: he hit .259/.376/.634 with 38 home runs in the first half. Raleigh admits that the team can’t just “put the ball in play” based on past achievements. “We decided that we’d just go out there and it would work out on its own. But that’s not how it works. We need to find our identity, our niche—how we’ll play for the rest of the year,” he says. In his view, the key problem isn’t a lack of work—everyone puts in effort in the gym and at the stadium. What’s missing is “sharpness,” the edge—that aggression that makes you fight for every run, go until the last strike, and make the “small things.” “When the lights are on, you’ve got to come in thinking the rent is overdue. We’re not here to hug and have fun. We’re here to win games,” Raleigh sums up.
Despite the losing streak and the negative win-loss record (48–49), the Mariners were only 1.5 games behind the division leader at the start of the second half and still held a wild-card spot. That’s thanks not so much to the team’s play as to a broader mediocrity across the American League. Raleigh insists it’s time to stop being “nice guys” who just prepare well. “The game is challenging us right now. The question is whether we can keep fighting, find a way to win without losing our sharpness. Because real memories are wins, postseason, and the World Cup,” he concludes. The story with the “What’s important right now?” mantra is once again relevant. The answer is the same: winning.
Timelines for the return of three injured Mariners pitchers
The Seattle Mariners, fighting for a playoff spot, received encouraging news regarding three key pitchers from their bullpen who are on the injured list. General manager Justin Hollander shared the expected recovery timelines for Carlos Vargas, Matt Brash, and Cooper Criswell.
According to Seattle Sports, Vargas is expected to return first. The 26-year-old right-hander has missed the entire current season due to a right lat strain—an injury that requires a long recovery because that muscle is heavily involved in pitching. Hollander noted that Vargas “had a very good week,” and he could throw a bullpen session as early as Tuesday. The right-hander is expected to be back around mid-August. Last season, Vargas put up solid numbers: a 3.97 ERA (average runs allowed per nine innings) and a 1.35 WHIP (runners allowed per inning) over 77 innings in 70 games.
Next to return should be Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell. Brash, who also has a lat strain, has started a throwing program and could join the team in mid-to-late August. Before the injury on June 16, he looked exceptional: a 0.54 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP over 16.2 innings across 20 appearances—an elite level. Criswell, acquired in the offseason from the New York Mets, is about a week behind Brash. His recovery from a pec strain has dragged on: he was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day. Criswell is expected to return in late August or early September. Before the injury, Criswell had a 3.52 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 30.2 innings.
These timelines are an important signal for the Mariners. The team’s bullpen has been one of the strongest in the league, but injuries have cost it depth. Getting each of these relievers back will strengthen Seattle’s arsenal for the crucial stretch of the regular season. At the same time, the schedules are only estimates: muscle injuries often require an individualized approach, and any setback could push things back again. For the Mariners, whose offense is struggling, reliable bullpen performance is critical. Whether the team will have these players in time for their peak will be a question that ultimately determines their chances of making the postseason.
