Cal Raleigh made history on Monday, joining Ken Griffey Jr. in a rare Seattle milestone as he hit his 50th home run of the season. For the Mariners catcher, the achievement came just a day after he added two homers to move atop the all-time single-season leaderboard for primary catchers. Raleigh’s feat helped Seattle secure a 9-6 win over the San Diego Padres, further cementing his breakout season.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Raleigh said, according to MLB.com. “I mean, 50 home runs, it’s kind of a crazy number to think of. … You hit five in high school, you thought you had all this power. So it’s just crazy.”
Raleigh battled lefty JP Sears in the first inning, working a full count and crushing a 92.9 mph fastball 419 feet into the second deck at T-Mobile Park. “I’m trying to stay on the heater, trying to stay with a good approach. I think that’s kind of what helped me stay on some of those offspeed pitches. I didn’t pull off them,” he said.
How historic is this achievement?
Raleigh is now four homers shy of tying Mickey Mantle’s switch-hitter record (1961) and six shy of matching Griffey’s franchise mark from 1997-98. He also became the first player ever to homer at least 20 times from both sides of the plate in the same season. Through Monday, Raleigh led MLB with 50 home runs, five more than runner-up Shohei Ohtani.
Next steps for Raleigh and the Mariners
As the season unfolds, Cal Raleigh’s historic power surge has positioned him as a leading MVP candidate, continuing to electrify Seattle fans. The Mariners will look to ride his hot streak in their push for postseason contention.
see also
Red Sox teammate of Alex Bregman sets new franchise record in narrow victory over Orioles
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