Cal Raleigh breaks Mickey Mantle's single-season switch-hitter homer record as Mariners rout Royals 12-5
Raleigh hits two homers — left- and right-handed — while teammate Dominic Canzone belts three as Seattle wins 10th straight
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cal Raleigh hit two home runs Tuesday, including a 419-foot shot that established the single-season home run record for a switch-hitter previously held by Mickey Mantle, and the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners beat the Kansas City Royals 12-5 for their 10th consecutive victory.
Raleigh’s first drive, a 419-foot homer off Michael Wacha while batting left-handed, was his 55th of the season and surpassed Mantle’s 1961 total for a switch-hitter. Raleigh’s second shot, a 425-footer off Daniel Lynch IV while batting right-handed, tied the Mariners’ single-season club mark set by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997. The All-Star catcher also doubled in the first inning and finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, raising his season total to 118 RBIs. It was Raleigh’s 10th multihomer game of this season and the 20th multihomer game of his career.
Dominic Canzone had a career night for Seattle, belting three homers — in the second, fifth and ninth innings — and finishing 5 for 5 with four RBIs. The designated hitter’s performance and the humid, late-summer conditions at spacious Kauffman Stadium contributed to a game in which balls were frequently leaving the yard.
Kansas City rookie Carter Jensen hit the first two homers of his big league career for the Royals. Jensen appeared to have a third before a long fly in the eighth inning caromed off the right-field wall for a double.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert (5-6) allowed two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings and struck out five. Gilbert has allowed seven earned runs total over his last five starts. Wacha (9-12), making his return after a stint on the seven-day concussion list cost him his previous scheduled start, gave up a season-high seven runs on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings for Kansas City.
The margin of victory continued a strong run for the Mariners, who lead the American League West and extended their winning streak to 10 games. Raleigh’s 55 home runs make him the most prolific switch-hitter in a single Major League Baseball season, surpassing Mantle’s mark from the early 1960s and matching Seattle’s franchise single-season high established by Griffey.
The Royals continue to search for consistency as the season winds toward its final weeks, while Seattle’s offense has produced multiple big effusions during the club’s streak. Raleigh’s achievement and Canzone’s three-homer game were central to a rout that underscored the Mariners’ momentum and the challenges Kansas City faces down the stretch.
