SEATTLE — After the Mariners’ major moves ahead of the Trade Deadline, Cal Raleigh doesn’t necessarily have to be the guy in Seattle’s new-look lineup. But perhaps he still will be as his historic season continues.
Raleigh reached the record books again Thursday night when he crushed his 42nd homer in the fifth inning of Seattle’s 6-0 win over Texas, surpassing Todd Hundley for the most by a switch-hitting catcher in a single season in MLB history.
Raleigh is inching closer to the overall record for homers by a catcher in a single season — 48 by the Royals’ Salvador Perez in 2021 — and remains in striking distance for the American League record of 62, set by Yankees star Aaron Judge in 2022. Judge hit his 42nd of the year on July 31 that season, the same date as Raleigh’s.
The Mariners’ catcher jumped on a 96.3 mph, high-and-in fastball from Kumar Rocker in an 0-1 count and lifted it 364 feet, just narrowly beyond the right-center-field wall at T-Mobile Park, which built upon Seattle’s early lead.
Raleigh also extended his MLB lead atop the home run leaderboard (four more than second-place Shohei Ohtani) and in RBIs (breaking a tie with not-so-new teammate Eugenio Suárez, who has 87).
Speaking of Suárez, he made his highly anticipated return to the Mariners on Thursday, and even more key, made an immediate impact.
The slugging third baseman sparked Seattle’s scoring after yanking a one-out double down the left-field line in the fourth inning, advanced to third on a flyout then raced home on a wild pitch from Rocker that broke a scoreless tie.
All said, though, Raleigh did not have the night’s most majestic blast. That belonged to rookie Cole Young, who sent one into the second deck and to the outdoors portion of the Hit It Here Café way beyond right field, just two at-bats before Raleigh went deep. It was the first career homer for the promising second baseman at T-Mobile Park, coming exactly two months after his MLB debut.
