Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh continues his own campaign to win the American League MVP, recently etching his name in MLB history by hitting his 50th home run of the season, placing him alongside a true New York Yankees legend.
According to ESPN, “Raleigh joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters with 50 homers in a season and became the eighth player in major league history to reach the half-century mark in August,” ESPN reported Monday after the Mariners‘ win over the San Diego Padres.
Raleigh also surpassed another Mantle record: the most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter, a mark the Hall of Famer set with eight such games in 1961.
In July, Raleigh won the Home Run Derby, becoming the first catcher and first switch-hitter to claim the title, according to ESPN.
Raleigh‘s 50th home run came against former Yankees pitcher JP Sears, traveling approximately 419 feet. This blast brought the Mariners within 1 games of first place in the American League West, held by the Houston Astros.
Now, Raleigh is chasing the Seattle franchise record of 56 home runs, set by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997 and matched in 1998. Raleigh becomes just the second player in Mariners history to reach 50 home runs.
Additionally, Raleigh set a new personal record: the most home runs by a catcher in MLB history, surpassing Salvador Pérez’s 48 (Kansas City Royals, 2021).
American League MVP Candidate
On Tuesday, MLB.com released its latest American League MVP poll, with Raleigh emerging as the favorite, earning 22 first-place votes from a panel of 37 experts.
According to Jason Foster of MLB.com, “as Raleigh’s home run total continues to climb-he’s on pace to reach 60-his position in the poll is soaring. After trailing Aaron Judge, Raleigh now holds the top spot comfortably.”
The 28-year-old catcher leads the American League with 107 RBIs, and his 5.9 WAR ranks second in the league, behind only Judge (6.9). Raleigh also ranks second to Judge in slugging (.667), OPS (1.106), and total bases (293), cementing his historic season.
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