Cal Raleigh slugs 60th home run as Mariners clinch AL West title
Raleigh becomes the seventh MLB player to reach 60 homers in a season as Seattle wins its first AL West crown since 2001
SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit his 59th and 60th home runs of the season, powering the Seattle Mariners to a 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies and clinching the American League West title for the first time since 2001 at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday night.
The Mariners improved to 89-69 with the win, sealing seats in the postseason discussion as they closed in on the final days of the regular season.
Raleigh’s first-inning homer, a 438-foot shot off Tanner Gordon from the left side, gave Seattle a 1-0 lead and marked his 59th homer of the season. "It was like a movie," Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez said of Raleigh’s first-inning shot. "I’m just so grateful that he’s on our team, that he’s able to do what he does. He’s so special, and I can’t say enough."
Raleigh added his 60th in the eighth, a 98-mph fastball off Rockies reliever Angel Chivilli that traveled 389 feet into the right-field seats to make it 9-1. It was the 11th multihomer game for Raleigh this year, tying him with Aaron Judge (2022), Hank Greenberg (1938) and Sammy Sosa (1998) for the MLB single-season mark. "It’s crazy. Sixty is — I don’t know what to say," Raleigh said after the game. "I didn’t know if I was going to hit 60 in my life. Just tonight, what a way to do it."
The milestone kept Raleigh in the mix for the American League most valuable player award, and it came as Seattle tightened its grip on the division with four games remaining in the regular season. Raleigh’s 60th also kept him in a position to chase the AL single-season home-run record, which is 62, set by Aaron Judge in 2022.
"Joining Ruth, Maris, McGwire, Sosa, Bonds and Judge as players to reach 60 is something I never imagined," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "When you look at how he has done it and the position that he plays — I was telling somebody earlier today that when you come off the field, you’re mentally and physically exhausted. And for him to do what he’s done offensively and to do what he does behind the plate, I honestly don’t think we’ve seen this before. It’s been incredible. I think he deserves the MVP, no question."
Seattle, at 89-69, clinched the West for the first time since 2001, setting the stage for a potential postseason run. The Mariners will wrap the three-game series with Colorado on Thursday night, with a 9:40 p.m. ET start time and hopes of completing a sweep to cap a historic campaign.
Colorado, mired in a season-long rebuild, dropped to 43-115 and faced an uphill climb to end the year on a high note. Still, Seattle’s win provided a spark as the team looks ahead to the postseason, where Raleigh’s power with the bat and his efficiency behind the plate have become defining elements of their success.
With four games left on the schedule, Raleigh’s historic pace has him in the conversation for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award, a spot that would be earned through continued production and team impact as Seattle pushes toward October.