Seattle – Amidst the spotlight of fame and the cheers from fans still echoing after a brilliant season, Cal Raleigh – the star of the Seattle Mariners and the new 2025 Most Valuable Player – surprised the baseball world in a different way: he officially proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Hannah Shimek.
No fanfare, no TV cameras, just a private, simple but emotional moment.
“Cal had planned it for weeks,” a friend revealed. “He wanted it to be sincere. When he got down on one knee, he said Hannah was ‘the only person who always believed in him even when no one else did.’”
For those who have followed Raleigh’s journey, that’s no surprise. Behind the resounding home runs, Hannah Shimek has always been a solid support system. She, a former two-time national champion softball player at Southern Oregon University, knows the pressures of elite sports and is always the first to text Raleigh after a game.
Cal and Hannah first met at a summer camp in Oregon in 2018. Raleigh was a promising young catcher, and Shimek was the captain of the women’s softball team. The two bonded over their shared passion for baseball.
When Raleigh was drafted by the Mariners in 2021, Hannah was in the stands for his debut, holding a sign that read: “You’ve always been my MVP.” She’s been there every step of the way since then—from Raleigh’s historic walk-off win that sent the Mariners into the 2022 postseason to Raleigh’s 60-home run explosion in the 2025 season.
On social media, fans call them “Seattle baseball’s golden couple.” And now, as Raleigh officially took the knee, it seemed like the entire city was chanting “Yes!”.
Shortly after the news broke, the Seattle Mariners’ website posted a congratulatory message:
“From his team – to the love of his life. Congratulations Cal & Hannah! Two hearts, one perfect catch.”
Teammate Julio Rodríguez:
“I knew this day would come! Cal has found the only person who can ‘catch’ him – both on the field and off.”
Even head coach Scott Servais expressed his joy:
“Not only is Cal a great catcher, he is also a great man. I have never seen him happier.”
2025 is the year of Cal Raleigh’s destiny. From winning the Baseball Digest/Inside Edge Player of the Year award, beating Aaron Judge, to leading the Mariners deep into the postseason, every success seems more complete when he finds real happiness with the woman he loves.
In the next post, Raleigh wrote:
“She has always been my rock. When I was just a backup catcher, she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Now, I just want to spend the rest of my life making her proud.”
It was more than just a proposal, it was a declaration of love between two people born into the world of baseball – where discipline, sweat, and faith intertwine.
From a powerful swing on the field to a gentle promise under the sunset, Cal Raleigh has just proven that: baseball’s heroes also know how to score in the biggest game – the game of hearts.
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