Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh reached a milestone Monday night, hitting his 50th home run of the season and joining Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players in franchise history to hit at least 50 in a year. Griffey achieved the feat twice in the late 1990s, making Raleigh’s accomplishment a rare mark in Seattle’s record books.
The blast also put Raleigh in elite company across Major League Baseball, as he became just the third switch-hitter ever to reach the 50-homer plateau, following Mickey Mantle and Ken Caminiti. The achievement comes one day after Raleigh broke the single-season home run record for primary catchers, surpassing Salvador Perez’s 48 set in 2021—cementing his season as one of the most powerful ever by a backstop.
