Cal Raleigh, affectionately known as ‘Big Dumper’, recently slugged his way into the MLB record books when on Sunday, August 24th at T-Mobile Park, he mashed two home runs and became the first catcher in MLB history to hit 49 home runs in a season.
In a game that the Seattle Mariners would eventually win by an 11-4 score, Raleigh emerged as the story when, in the first inning, he homered to tie Salvador Perez’s record for most home runs in a season by a catcher in the majors, before breaking it an inning later.
Afterwards, Raleigh stressed that it’s all about team achievement, which is the most important thing to worry about.
“I’d say the hardest part is just trying to stay focused on the main goal, and that’ winning baseball games and helping this team get to where we need to get to,” Raleigh said. “And obviously, doing this stuff has been awesome and amazing, but at the same time it’s more focusing on the other guys in that room, focusing on the pitchers, focusing on the team’s goals, rather than myself.”
Raleigh’s first-inning home run was a 448-foot two-run shot which came off a 91.7 mph fastball thrown by A’s starting southpaw pitcher Jacob Lopez to give the Mariners that early 2-0 lead.
An inning later, he once again victimized Lopez for another two-run shot, only this time he slugged a changeup which travelled 412 feet to left off the out of two scoreboard for that record-setting 49th home run for a catcher.
Previously, the record for most home runs by a catcher was set in 2021, when Perez, on September 29th, victimized Cleveland Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac with a 439-foot shot to straight-away center field at Kauffman Stadium.
Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Breaks Home Run Record
Raleigh is Closing In On a Few Hitting Records
With all the success Raleigh is having, it’s hard to believe that in 2018, he had to wait until the second round before getting drafted by Seattle.
Last season, Raleigh, at age 27, showed real signs of greatness when he enjoyed a breakout season, which saw him hit 34 home runs and 100 RBIs along with banging out a career-best 120 hits.
This year, the star catcher surpassed Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. for most home runs by a Mariner before the All-Star Game with his record-breaking 36th coming at Yankee Stadium during a 10-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
“Obviously not the result we wanted to get tonight,” Raleigh said. “It’s frustrating, but (the record) is a cool thing to accomplish. (Griffey) is a great player and I tried to do my part.”
One significant record, which is now in great jeopardy of falling, involves the most home runs by a switch-hitter in a season, which belongs to Mickey Mantle with 54 going back to that magical 1961 season. Actually, that was the second time in Mantle’s career that he eclipsed 50 home runs in a season. Mantle also turned the trick in 1956 when he banged out 52 home runs.
Another record which is well within reach for Raleigh is the most home runs hit in a season by a Mariner player, which Griffey Jr. currently holds with 56, which he hit in both 1997 and ’98.
Currently, Raleigh seems to have all of baseball pulling for him, and that includes his manager, Dan Wilson.
“He’s starting to set a bar that’s equal to nobody else that’s done this,” Wilson said. “And that’s the newsworthy part of this thing is it’s getting to a point – where you can’t compare him to anybody.”
Raleigh Had Solid Statistics Before This Year
Baseball fans might not have noticed, but Raleigh has, throughout his career, put up solid statistics as a catcher.
Starting in the 2022 season, the Mariners catcher had 27 home runs along with 63 RBI’s, which increased the following season to 30 home runs and 75 RBI’s. As already mentioned, in 2024, ‘Big Dumper‘ smashed 34 home runs and knocked in 100 runs for a breakout campaign.
This year, Raleigh has emerged as a star. But it shouldn’t be a big surprise to those following his career.
You can bet that baseball fans will be glued to their televisions or computers in following the progress of Raleigh and whether he can, in fact, pass Mantle in becoming the all-time leader in most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter.
Main Image: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
