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Cal Raleigh Sets New Home Run Record for Catchers
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SEATTLE, Aug. 25, 2025 – Cal Raleigh is the new single-season home run king among catchers, smashing the previous record in epic fashion.
Raleigh hit his 48th and 49th home runs against the Athletics on Sunday afternoon,etching his name in baseball history. Cal Raleigh has set the new single-season record for home runs by a primary catcher.
A Record-Breaking Performance
Raleigh achieved this milestone in truly dramatic fashion, hitting both home runs from the right side of the plate off A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez. He tied the previous record of 48 homers in the first inning with a majestic two-run blast that soared 448 feet into the second deck at T-Mobile Park. He then broke the record in the second inning, connecting for another two-run shot over the left-center-field fence, a 412-foot blast that gave Seattle a 5-1 lead.
The crowd erupted with “MVP” chants, leading to a standing ovation and a curtain call for the Mariners’ slugger.
With his 49th home run, Raleigh is now just five homers away from matching the MLB single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter, a mark set by New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle with 54 homers in 1961. He also has a chance to challenge Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 home runs, set in 2022. The Mariners still have 31 games remaining in their season.
Raleigh’s Historic Season
Prior to Raleigh,only five other catchers had hit 40 homers in a season: Salvador Perez,Johnny Bench (twice),Roy Campanella,Todd Hundley,and Mike Piazza (twice). With one more homer,Raleigh will join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only Mariners hitters to reach 50 homers in a season. Griffey holds the franchise record with 56 homers, set in both 1997 and 1998.
Nicknamed “The big Dumper,” Raleigh currently leads the majors with 49 home runs and ranks second in RBIs with 106. He is the first catcher to achieve back-to-back seasons of at least 100 RBIs since Mike Piazza did so in 1999 and 2000.
Sunday marked Raleigh’s ninth multi-homer game of the season, surpassing Mickey Mantle for the most in a season by a switch-hitter. The overall single-season record for multi-homer games is 11, achieved by three players.
Last month, Raleigh shattered records for the most home runs by a catcher and a switch-hitter before the All-Star break with 38. He was the first catcher or switch-hitter to reach 30 homers before the Midsummer Classic. Raleigh also surpassed Griffey’s first-half franchise record of 35 homers before the All-Star break.
Raleigh hit 27 homers in his first full season in 2022, followed by 30 homers in 2023 and 34 in 2024. Last season, he also earned the AL’s Platinum Glove Award as the league’s best defensive player, regardless of position.
Raleigh’s historic 2025 campaign has elevated his prominence, highlighted by his first career All-Star selection and a Home Run Derby title during the All-Star festivities in Atlanta.
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Cal Raleigh broke the single-season catcher home run record with his
