Cal Raleigh breaks Mariners single-season home run record with 57th homer
Catcher surpasses Ken Griffey Jr.'s mark and leads MLB in homers as the AL MVP race tightens with Aaron Judge.
SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season Saturday night, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners single-season record of 56 that Griffey set in 1997 and matched in 1998. The blast came in the third inning with Seattle leading the Houston Astros 2-0, as Raleigh connected on a 95.5 mph sinker from left-hander Framber Valdez into the right-center bullpen to push the lead to 3-0.
Raleigh lifted his right arm in celebration as he rounded the bases, then raised the trident the Mariners use for their home-run celebrations after J.P. Crawford handed it to him before he entered the dugout.
With the 57th homer, Raleigh holds the major-league lead in home runs this season. He has also surpassed Mickey Mantle’s switch-hitter record of 54, set in 1961, and established the MLB record for homers by a catcher in a season, topping Salvador Perez’s 48 in 2021.
Raleigh is in a race with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. While Raleigh leads in homers and RBI, Judge owns the edge in several other categories, including OPS. Judge homered for his 49th of the season on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, narrowing the gap in the season-long chase for the league's top honor.
Seattle’s season has featured a surge of power from Raleigh that has energized a fan base and kept the club in the thick of the postseason discussion. The milestone underscores a year in which Seattle has leaned on its offense and made a push toward ending its playoff drought.