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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Progressive Field is about 20 miles from Raley’s Tree Farms in Hinckley, but growing up working in the family business for Mariners outfielder Luke Raley, the ballpark might as well have been located on the other side of the moon. “When I was at the tree lot, I didn’t talk about baseball,” Raley said. “Not for any reason other than I was there to sell Christmas trees, not talk about baseball.

” Generations of Northeast Ohioans have gotten their Christmas trees from the family’s lot on Ridge Road, but few made the connection that the 6-foot-4 lad strapping saplings to their car roofs would someday go on to have a career in the big leagues. Nowadays, Raley says it happens more often than you’d think. But when he worked on the lot, Major League Baseball was the last thing on his mind.



“It’s just one of those things that people kind of put two and two together and realize we get our trees from Raley’s Tree Farm,” he said. Baseball is all that’s on Raley’s mind this week as his Mariners are in town for three games against the Guardians. In Tuesday’s series opener, Raley collected two hits including his first home run in his hometown ballpark.

He also picked up his first career ejection after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in the ninth inning of Seattle’s 8-5 win. Raley, who starred at Medina Highland High before he was drafted out of Lake Erie College by the Dodgers in 2016, said despite missin.

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