Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is the first backstop in MLB history to hit 49 home runs in a single season.
Raleigh swatted his second homer in the second inning of Sunday’s 11-4 win over the Athletics to break Salvador Perez’s 2021 record for a primary catcher.
Raleigh tied Perez in the first inning with blast No. 48.
“I’d say the hardest part is just trying to stay focused on the main goal, and that’s winning baseball games and helping this team get to where we need to get to,” Raleigh said postgame, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The win, combined with the Astros’ loss Sunday, moved the Mariners within two games of AL West leader Houston.
“And obviously, doing this stuff has been awesome and amazing, but at the same time it’s more focusing on the other guys in that room, focusing on the pitchers, focusing on the team goals, rather than myself.”
The 28-year-old All-Star collected his ninth multi-homer game of 2025, which is a new Mariners record after breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. from 1997.
Raleigh now has the most multi-homer games by a switch-hitter in a single season, passing Mickey Mantle’s mark from 1961.
Raleigh’s compiled 7.3 fWAR this season, which is tied with New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge for the highest total in the majors this year. The two players are favorites for AL MVP with just over a month left in the regular season in what could end up being a very tight race for the award.
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