SEATTLE -- Randy Arozarena crushed two homers and reached 100 for his career in the process, but it was Cal Raleigh who again stole the show late on Monday night at T-Mobile Park when blasting his 33rd in what’s shaping up to be a historic season.
The Mariners rode those three homers -- and a sacrifice fly, for good measure, also from Raleigh -- to a 6-2 win over the reeling Royals to open their final homestand before the All-Star break, where the hometown fans will have one final week to give Raleigh a sendoff to the Midsummer Classic at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Raleigh still needs help to actually get there, at least for now, as the slugger’s spot is still pending Phase 2 of the PRO SPIRIT MLB All-Star Ballot, which runs through Wednesday at 9 a.m. PT. Raleigh is in a one-on-one matchup against Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk, who has the fanbase of an entire country behind him, with the winner earning the nod to the American League’s starting lineup.
“Everyone is just kind of amazed of what he's been able to accomplish this season,” Arozarena said of Raleigh through an interpreter. “But yeah, he's a great batter. If you asked me if I was surprised, not really, because I get to see exactly the work he puts in behind the scenes for him to have the success that he is having now.”
Raleigh has already committed to the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and Monday showed why he could be the favorite to win.
In a 2-1 count in the seventh inning vs. lefty reliever Daniel Lynch IV, Raleigh jumped on an off-plate curveball and pummeled it 393 feet directly to the right of straightaway center field -- the near carbon-copy landing spot for both of Arozarena’s homers. Of Raleigh’s long list of homers, Monday was just the seventh that he hadn’t directly pulled, per Statcast.
“He just kind of stayed on it really well, and just drove it to where it was pitched,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “And that was a really nice swing, a really nice approach -- he stayed on it and just drove it to center field. Apparently, that was the place to hit it tonight. It seemed like it was carrying out that way.”
Raleigh is now just one homer shy from matching a career high, which he set in 2024 when he led all MLB catchers in clearing the fence. Moreover, only Barry Bonds (39 in 2001) and Mark McGwire (37 in 1998) had more homers by the end of June than Raleigh in 2025, and both set the single-season home run record in those respective seasons.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa also had an identical 33 before July as Raleigh, doing so in 1998. For added context, Raleigh is tied for 10th in homers through a team’s 84th game of the season, which accounts for the regular season trending more towards an earlier start each season.
Raleigh reached the 70 RBI-mark in the Mariners' 84th game, making him the club's fastest to 70 RBIs since Bret Boone also did it in 84 games in 2003. The catcher also moved into sole possession of the MLB lead in RBIs with 71.
Arozarena, meanwhile, had been sitting on 99 homers for nearly three weeks, yet June was quietly his best month of the season. He finished with a slash line of .294/.383/.471 (.854 OPS) but had only the one homer before Monday, on June 10 at Arizona.
The power trend could certainly change, too, as peak Seattle summer has arrived -- and with it, MLB’s least hitter-friendly ballpark no longer experiences the extreme constraints as it does in the cooler months. Seeking his fifth straight 20-20 season, he now has 10 homers and 15 stolen bases.
“This is a big ballpark,” Arozarena said. “Sometimes, it's hard to hit a home run. But once that temperature gets higher, that ball is going to fly a little more.”
Somewhat lost in the power surge was the strong effort from George Kirby, who twirled his second straight quality start and needed just 85 pitches to clear six innings of one-run ball. His lone blemish came on an up-the-middle chopper that was nearly corralled by rookie second baseman Cole Young in the third inning but instead caromed off his glove and allowed Kyle Isbel to score from second base.
Other than that, Kirby surrendered just two other hits with zero walks and five strikeouts. He now has a 3.17 ERA over his past six starts, after beginning his season off the injured list with an 11.42 ERA in his first two outings.