Not long after he hit one of the biggest home runs in history — the walk-off winner against that ended ’s infamous playoff drought in September 2022 — ’s teammate responsibilities extended into the offseason. That fall, he was a groomsman for one of his closest friends, . The two had grown close since being drafted in 2018, as they climbed the minor-league ladder together before debuting in 2021 and quickly cementing themselves as core members of Seattle’s roster.
But even though Raleigh , Gilbert’s wedding represented something of an awkward, if amusing, reunion for his batterymate. Because long before Gilbert and Raleigh became big-league teammates, they occupied opposing dugouts during a series of Sunshine State showdowns between Raleigh’s Florida State Seminoles and Gilbert’s Stetson Hatters. Much to Gilbert’s chagrin, Raleigh made a strong impression during those games.
“I’m pretty sure he hit a home run against three of the other groomsmen — at least two of those guys,” Gilbert told Yahoo Sports. “He hit so well against us.” “I account ” confirmed left-hander Ben Onyshko, one of Gilbert’s teammates at Stetson who was also selected by the Mariners in the 2018 draft and pitched in the organization for six seasons.
“They'd hit so many homers. It was kind of demoralizing because we played good games against other in-state teams, like or UCF. We’d go to Florida State and just get rocked every single time.
” As the ace of Stetson’s s.