Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh continues to rewrite the file books with a historic first half of the 2025 MLB season.
Within the Mariners’ 12-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, Raleigh slugged two house runs, together with a grand slam within the ninth inning, bringing his season complete to 38 house runs, only one shy of Barry Bonds’ all-time file of 39 earlier than the All-Star break set in 2001.
Raleigh’s efficiency Friday evening at Comerica Park was phenomenal. Going through Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and a workforce with the most effective file within the American League, the Mariners overcame a late-night arrival and up to date sweep by the Yankees to safe an important win.
Raleigh’s thirty seventh house run got here within the eighth inning off Tyler Holton, a 383-foot solo shot with an exit velocity of 98.1 mph. His thirty eighth was a grand slam off Brant Hurter, touring 405 toes at 107.1 mph, placing the sport out of attain.
The switch-hitting All-Star has now homered from the correct facet of the plate 16 occasions this season and has hit a number of house runs in eight video games, tying a Mariners franchise file held by Ken Griffey Jr. and matching Mickey Mantle’s MLB file for many multi-homer video games in a season by a switch-hitter.
With 38 house runs, Raleigh not solely leads all of Main League Baseball in homers but additionally in RBIs, tallying 81 via 94 video games. He joins Yankees slugger Aaron Choose as the one two gamers with an OPS over 1.000 this season, Raleigh presently holds a .264/.377/.645 slash line, good for a 1.022 OPS.
Raleigh’s energy surge this season has already positioned him among the many greatest. He handed Corridor of Famer Johnny Bench for essentially the most house runs by a catcher earlier than the All-Star break along with his twenty eighth and twenty ninth homers on June 20. He has now surpassed legends similar to Chris Davis (37 in 2013), Mark McGwire (37 in 1998), and Reggie Jackson (37 in 1969) for the second-most house runs within the first half of a season.
Friday’s grand slam was the newest milestone in a breakout 12 months that noticed Raleigh signal a six-year, $105 million contract and earn a beginning spot within the 2025 All-Star Sport and House Run Derby. He has six hits over his final 10 video games, all house runs.
The Mariners are proper within the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting at 49-45 and holding down second place within the AL West, and Cal Raleigh has been an enormous motive for that. With simply two video games left earlier than the All-Star break, he’s received an actual shot at topping Barry Bonds’ legendary first-half house run file.