CHICAGO -- Cal Raleigh’s epic season of slug has reached historic territory.
The Mariners’ backstop crushed his 28th homer of the season during the first inning of Friday afternoon’s 9-4 win over the Cubs, then for good measure, he quite literally left the building with a go-ahead two-run blast that reached Waveland Avenue in the seventh for his 29th.
In the process, Raleigh tied and then passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a primary catcher before the All-Star break.
The backdrop of historical Wrigley Field -- where there were audible “MVP” chants despite being in visitor territory -- made the historic day that much more fitting.
“Any time you're mentioned even in the same sentence as one of the best -- if not the best -- to ever do it is obviously a special, special thing,” Raleigh said. “So I’m just very grateful.”
Bench set the bar in 1970 and needed 87 games to get there, while Raleigh passed him in just 73 games. Raleigh broke the 55-year-old record with 22 contests to spare before the Midsummer Classic to surpass the Hall of Famer, who recently revealed just how big a fan he is of “Big Dumper” in an interview with USA Today.
Raleigh met Bench last November at the Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York and they shared an extended conversation. Bench, who was a 10-time winner of the top defensive honor, instilled many nuggets about the importance of durability, as Raleigh has played in all but one of Seattle’s 74 games this year.
“He was one heck of a player,” Raleigh said.
Raleigh is now on pace for 63 homers this season, which would shatter the single-season home run record by a primary catcher, achieved by the Royals’ Salvador Perez in 2021 with 48. It would also narrowly edge Aaron Judge for the American League record of 62, which he set in 2022.
Moreover, Raleigh is also in position to set the record for the most homers by a switch-hitter, a high mark currently held by Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 in 1961. Mantle also hit 29 homers before the All-Star break that year, which remains the most for a switch-hitter and is tied with three others -- plus Raleigh -- and done most recently by Cleveland’s José Ramírez in 2018.
In Mariners history, only Ken Griffey Jr. has hit more home runs than Raleigh -- so far -- in the first half, eclipsing 30 three times, with a franchise-best 35 in 1998.
Friday also marked Raleigh’s sixth multihomer game of the season -- and his second exclusively from the right side -- which also puts him in rare company. He tied Mike Piazza (six in 1995) for the most such contests in a single season while playing catcher and not another position, and he is within striking distance of the all-time record held by Javy Lopez (eight in 2003). Again, it’s only June.
“It's unbelievable,” said manager Dan Wilson, the lone catcher in the Mariners Hall of Fame, who at this rate will have company some day.
Raleigh also extended his MLB home run lead over second-place Judge (26) and third-place Shohei Ohtani (25), the reigning AL and National League MVPs, respectively. He also tied Pete Alonso for the MLB RBIs lead with 63.
Speaking of the All-Star break, there’s a good chance that Raleigh will be invited to compete in this year’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta, and he first revealed to MLB.com earlier this month that he “would do that in a heartbeat.”
For Friday’s first homer, Raleigh dug out a 94.6 mph, low-and-away fastball from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd -- his Mariners batterymate in 2022 -- and yanked it just over the left-center-field wall, into and out of the basket just above the ivy to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
With the wind blowing out to center field at 12 mph at first pitch in this historically hitter-friendly venue, Raleigh might’ve gotten a little help, as Statcast projected that the 381-foot blast would’ve been a homer in exactly one ballpark. But that shouldn’t discount the totality of Raleigh’s power for the season, as there have been plenty of no-cheapies.
Then in the seventh, Raleigh ambushed a middle-middle, 94.2 mph heater from reliever Caleb Thielbar that sailed 419 feet, cleared the bleachers and proved to be the final go-ahead hit.
Fellow catcher Mitch Garver, who was Seattle’s designated hitter on Friday, also had a two-homer game to reach 100 for his career. And to top off the collective performance, all nine runs from the Mariners were scored with two outs.