Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh homered for the 59th and 60th times on Wednesday against the Colorado, crossing a new threshold as he puts the finishing touches on his historic season. Raleigh is just the fourth player in American League history to clear 60 home runs, and the first who wasn’t a member of the New York Yankees at the time.
Indeed, Raleigh is the first player to homer 60 or more times since Yankees slugger Aaron Judge broke the American League and franchise single-season record with 62 home runs in 2022. Prior to Judge, no player had cleared 60 home runs since 2001.
AL players with 60-homer seasons
|
Aaron Judge |
Yankees |
2022 |
62 |
|
Roger Maris |
Yankees |
1961 |
61 |
|
Cal Raleigh |
Mariners |
2025 |
60 and counting |
|
Babe Ruth |
Yankees |
1927 |
60 |
Additionally, Raleigh set the single-season record for most home runs by a primary catcher (previously 48) back in late August, and he’s since toppled the single-season record for most home runs by a switch hitter (55) and Mariners player (56) in September. It’s been that kind of magical, historic season.
His 59th home run earlier in the night was a majestic shot into the upper right field deck of T-Mobile Park.
Raleigh, 28, entered Wednesday hitting .245/.359/.586 (168 OPS+) with 58 home runs, 121 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases. His contributions had been worth an estimated 6.9 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations. Yet Raleigh is also an above-average framer behind the plate, something not incorporated in Baseball Reference’s WAR model. As such, it’s fair to suggest Raleigh has been worth even more to the Mariners throughout the year.
No wonder Raleigh is considered to be one of the favorites to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award, with the aforementioned Judge serving as his stiffest competition.
The Mariners clinched the American League West with their win on Wednesday, securing their first division title since 2001. Previously, the Mariners had ensured they would make it to the playoffs for just the second time in the last 24 years. Seattle snapped a 21-year drought in 2022, advancing to the Division Series before being swept in three games by the Houston Astros.
The Mariners will complete their series with the Rockies on Thursday before rounding out their year with three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. In theory, that could serve as a preview of the upcoming World Series.