ANAHEIM -- Big Dumper keeps on dumpin’.
Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh clobbered a 97 mph fastball from Angels reliever José Fermín in the top of the sixth inning of Seattle's 7-2 win on Saturday, sending it back at 113.5 mph -- the second-hardest hit ball from Raleigh this season – and 416 feet into the right-field stands, a no-doubter for his 40th home run of the season.
With that swing, Raleigh added to his historic campaign by becoming the first catcher and the first switch-hitter in MLB history to hit 40 home runs before the end of July. He’s now the fifth different player in Mariners franchise history to hit at least 40 home runs in a single season, putting him alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez and Nelson Cruz.
“They’re really good players,” Raleigh said. “They’re some of the best that’s ever come through here. Very honored to be part of that group, it’s a cool thing. [I’ll] just try to keep going and see how far we can take it.”
Raleigh is also the seventh catcher with 40+ home runs in a season, joining Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza (who each did it twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley, Javy López and Salvador Perez.
That sixth-inning homer was especially fun to watch for starter George Kirby, who’s been pitching to Raleigh for four seasons.
“It’s awesome. Forty home runs. It’s incredible,” he said. “I know he’s gonna keep going, he’s gonna keep adding on. To be able to do it that quickly too is pretty impressive. The way he carries himself and how he continues to do his homework behind the plate.
“He’s got a lot on his hands, and it’s pretty cool.”
The biggest thing manager Dan Wilson has come away with is how Raleigh’s gone about the season. He’s not letting any pressure get to him because there is no pressure. Raleigh’s just doing what he can to help the M’s rack up W’s.
“As we’ve talked about all along, he’s just been so humble about it,” Wilson said. “... He doesn’t wear it, but I’m sure it feels great to get to 40. I’m sure he wants to get to 41 as soon as possible, because he knows it helps us win ballgames.”
It’s perfect timing to do just that, as the calendar is just days away from flipping from July into August, and the games are starting to mean a little bit more. Especially for a team in a position like that of the Mariners, who are four games behind the Astros in the AL West and are also in the middle of a heated Wild Card race.
It’s still early, but Wilson has called this a “special group.” Raleigh is at the center of that.
“Cal’s desire to win is what shines through,” he said. “All those guys in that clubhouse want to win. As a collective group, they all push each other in that direction. And Cal is right there at the front doing that.
“... The season, the numbers he’s put up have been staggering, and this is just another one of those notches on his belt.”
There are some other notches that Raleigh is now getting closer to adding to that proverbial belt, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs: most home runs by a primary catcher (Perez, 48 in 2021), most homers while playing catcher (Lopez, 42 in 2003; Raleigh is at 32), and most homers by a switch-hitter (Mickey Mantle, 54 in 1961).
The last Mariner to be the first to reach 40 home runs was Griffey on Aug. 17, 1997.
Raleigh is currently on pace for 62 home runs in 2025, which would tie the AL record set by Aaron Judge in 2022.
But he isn’t all too worried about chasing those milestones, and right now, he’s not even putting too much stock into the one he hit on Saturday night. For him, it meant more that he was able to break a tie and spark a four-run inning that allowed his team to take control of the game.
He’ll rest on his laurels later.
“I’m not trying to downplay it,” Raleigh said. “But I’m glad we got the win tonight. And I’ll look back one day, and it’ll be a cool moment.”