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Seattle Mariners superstar Cal Raleigh joined New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle to become the second switch-hitter ever to hit 50 home runs in a season on Monday.
Raleigh clubbed his 50th home run of the season in the team’s 9-6 win over the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park.
Raleigh’s blast came in the first inning and broke a 0-0 tie. Batting right-handed, the All-Star catcher turned on Padres starting pitcher JP Sears’ 93-mph fastball and drilled it 419 feet into the second deck to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Raleigh said postgame. “Fifty home runs is kind of crazy — unheard of.”
The 28-year-old became the eighth player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs before the end of August. With the home run, Raleigh became the second Mariners player to hit 50 homers in a season.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. did it twice, hitting 56 home runs in both 1997 and 1998.
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Raleigh’s home run was his third in his last two games. In the team’s 11-4 win over the Athletics on Sunday, he hit two home runs and broke Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez’s record of 48 home runs, set in 2021.
“I thought I was a cool player when I hit five (homers) when I was young, in high school or something,” Raleigh said.
Raleigh has 30 home runs as a left-handed hitter and 20 as a right-handed hitter. In 129 games this season, Raleigh has a .247 batting average, 107 RBI and 14 stolen bases to go along with his league-leading 50 home runs.
Raleigh will look to continue his hot hitting when the Mariners (71-61) play the Padres (74-58) in the second game of their three-game series.
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