WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Let’s face it, most of the Little Leaguers who filled the stands at Bowman Field for the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Mariners on Sunday night didn’t care about who won the game. One thing that they all absolutely wanted to see was a Big Dumper home run right in front of their eyes.
And that’s exactly what Cal Raleigh gave them.
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In the top of the seventh inning, Raleigh drove the second pitch he saw from Mets reliever Reed Garrett over the opposite-field fence in left for his 47th home run of the season, inching him closer to tying a single-season record for a Major League catcher. On Friday, he moved into sole possession of second place on this prestigious list, passing Johnny Bench with his 46th dinger. Now, he sits just one homer away from tying Salvador Perez for the title.
“I love watching the home runs,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I love watching him hold the trident. I love all our guys to hold that trident. Again, just some really nice swings from Cal again tonight. … But no, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.”
As the ball exploded off Raleigh’s bat, the Little Leaguers in the stands behind him all leaped to their feet. By the time he crossed the plate, kids had their phones out recording the moment, jumping up and down in excitement after seeing Major League Baseball’s home run leader move higher up the leaderboard.
This was just hours after Raleigh spent his afternoon answering questions from kids participating in this year’s Little League World Series tournament. He rode the bus from the airport with a couple of players on the Southeast roster. The pair peppered him with questions about which brand of bat he used when he was 12 years old.
Clearly this power had to start somewhere, right? Why wouldn’t you want to follow in those same footsteps?
Raleigh laughed and reminisced with them about what he was like as a 12-year-old hitter. He quickly realized just how popular he was among the Little League fan base when he wasn’t able to get more than a foot away from that bus before being swarmed with kids begging for pictures and autographs.
The 2025 Home Run Derby champion has earned this level of adoration, but he proved it even more when he gave these young fans a moment they’ll never forget, witnessing homer No. 47.
“He’s a hard worker,” Wilson said. “He has put so much work into his swing, and he’s found what he needed to find. I think he’s a guy that we knew all along coming up in the Minor Leagues that he had a really high ceiling. You know, what he does behind the plate and what he does now at the plate has been unbelievable. He’s carried the weight of both of those things and has done very well. … It’s been an incredible season for him.”