Cal Raleigh sets new home run record for a catcher
Seattle – Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had a historic day this Sunday by hitting his 48th and 49th home runs of the season. With this feat, Raleigh surpassed Venezuelan Salvador Pérez and set a new home run record for a starting catcher in a single season.
Raleigh, who has participated in more than 75% of his games as a catcher, left behind the mark of 48 home runs that Pérez had achieved in 2021, establishing himself as the regular catcher with the most home runs in the history of Major League Baseball.
The first home run came in the bottom of the first inning, when Raleigh connected on a 91.7 mph pitch from Jacob López, sending the ball 448 feet, his longest home run of the year, reaching the second floor of T-Mobile Park. In the second inning, he punished the same pitcher again, this time with a change of speed that sent the ball 412 feet against the left field scoreboard. Both hits were two-run homers, giving the Mariners an early lead.After his second home run, Raleigh received a standing ovation from the fans, who chanted “MVP” in recognition of his possible candidacy for Most Valuable Player. With this performance, Raleigh has a total of 39 home runs as a catcher and nine more as a designated hitter, solidifying his position among the most outstanding hitters of the season.
The next goal for Raleigh is to approach the historical record of Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 home runs in 1961, the most for a switch hitter. In addition, Raleigh has already surpassed Ken Griffey Jr. (1997) as the player with the most multi-home run games in a season in Mariners history, with nine games of two or more home runs.
Despite an uneven second half of the season, batting .202 with a .709 OPS since the All-Star Game, Raleigh’s power production keeps him as one of the MLB 2025 protagonists and a strong candidate for various individual awards.
