Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh broke Salvador Perez’s 2021 mark with the Kansas City Royals and established a single-season catchers record on Sunday against the Athletics with his major league-high 48th and 49th home runs.
With his season-high nine home runs, Raleigh also surpassed Mickey Mantle (eight for the 1961 New York Yankees) for the most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter in a major league season. Eleven multi-home run games in a season is the overall record.
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Raleigh, a switch-hitter who bats from the right side, tied Perez with a home run off Athletics left-handed starter Jacob Lopez in the first inning to make it 2-0. Lopez threw a fastball down the center, and Raleigh hit it, according to Statcast, an estimated 448 feet. As a right-handed hitter, it was measured as Raleigh’s longest home run.
Raleigh hit a 412-foot changeup off Lopez in the second inning. When catching this season, Raleigh’s longballs were Nos. 39 and 40 on the season. As a designated hitter, he has nine hits.
In 2021, Perez hit 33 home runs at catcher and 15 as a DH.
Only four other players in major league history—Mike Piazza twice, Todd Hundley, Roy Campanella, and Johnny Bench twice—have hit at least 40 home runs in a season while predominantly playing catcher. Piazza, Bench, and Campanella are Hall of Famers.
In 2022, 2023, and last season, Raleigh hit 27 home runs, 30 in 2023, and 34 in 2024. Raleigh has the potential to become the first catcher in the American League to lead the major leagues in home runs if he keeps up his strong pace.
Raleigh, a 28-year-old first-time All-Star, made his national debut in July after winning the All-Star Home Run Derby and earning a six-year, $105 million deal extension. He became the first catcher to win the title and the first switch-hitter. After three-time champion Ken Griffey Jr., he is the second Mariners player to win the title.
Additionally, Raleigh has a great opportunity to surpass Griffey’s franchise record of 56 home runs in a season with 31 games remaining in the regular season.
Raleigh finished the season with 104 RBIs thanks to his home run. He is the first American League backstop to achieve the feat since Thurman Munson (1975–77) and the first catcher to have consecutive seasons with 100 runs scored since Piazza (1996–2000).
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Link: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb AP MLB
