By Paul L. Taylor Posted on

Mariners win in style as Cal Raleigh sets home run catcher record

Logan Gilbert also sets a personal best of 13 strikeouts, as the Seattle Mariners beat the Athletic’s 11-4 in Sunday’s rubber match.

The Seattle Mariners entered Sunday’s rubber match against the Athletics having only scored just three combined runs in the opening two games and with the genuine possibility of losing the overall season head-to-head series. However, on a glorious sunny afternoon in front of 37,550 people at T-Mobile Park, the M’s broke out the bats and stormed home to a decisive 11-4 win.

As a result, the Mariners improved to 70-61 and climbed to within 2.0 games of the Houston Astros at the top of the AL West. They also maintained a 3.0 game advantage for the third and final AL wild card spot, and are now just one game back of the first wild card position.

Individually speaking, Randy Arozarena continued to recover from his struggles in the lead-off spot, with two hits including his team-leading 26th double of the season, one RBI and a walk. Víctor Robles had a hit in his second successive game since coming back, while Julio Rodríguez continued his best month of the season to date with one hit, two RBI and a walk.

Logan Gilbert had one of his best outings of the season as he allowed just three hits, a walk and one earned run in 6.0 stellar innings. He also set career highs with 13 strikeouts and 25 whiffs, but he still wasn’t the main headliner on the day.

A record-setting day for Cal Raleigh

That honor instead went to Cal Raleigh, who had two home runs to claim the new all-time record of 49 for a catcher. The previous record of 48 was set by Salvador Perez in 2021, while he was playing for the Kansas City Royals.

Raleigh’s first home run to tie the record came in the opening inning and at 448 feet was the second-longest of his Major League career, as he put the Mariners on the board with an early 2-0 lead. His second one which set the new record, came an inning later to increase the M’s advantage to 5-1 and set them well on the road to victory.

Postgame, the 2025 All-Star was asked about the moment when he made his curtain call following his record-setting 49th home run. He said:

“It was really cool. I didn’t know it would be a thing, but they were kind of pushing me out there. I didn’t want to feel dumb if I went out there, but it was really cool seeing everyone on their feet. It was a special moment so I’ll always remember that.”

Raleigh also discussed what it meant to achieve the new catcher home run record in front of the home fans in Seattle, as opposed to on the road. He said:

“It’s awesome. I mean obviously our fans are amazing and to do it here. Obviously doing it anywhere would be special, but to do it here in front of the fans and to give them that and see the appreciation was a really cool moment on top of a really good game.”

As per the final part of those comments, the Mariners’ clubhouse leader has continued to do his best to think more about the team doing well as a whole rather than any individual achievements by himself. He said:

“I’d say the hardest part is just trying to stay focused on the main goal, and that’s winning baseball games and helping this team get to where we need to get to. Obviously, doing this stuff has been awesome and amazing, but at the same time it’s more focusing on the other guys in that room, focusing on the pitchers, focusing on the team goals, rather than myself and usually when I’m focused on that good things happen.”

What lies ahead for the Mariners’ clubhouse leader

You can certainly appreciate why it has been tough for Raleigh to remain focused on the main goal, and the interesting thing is that he’s only just getting started on potentially setting records this season. Next up is the home run mark of 42 for a catcher while playing the position set by Javy Lopez in 2003 with the Atlanta Braves, which he can surpass with three more blasts.

There’s also the great Mickey Mantle’s record of 54 by a switch-hitter in a season, which would then leave Raleigh just two behind Ken Griffey Jr.’s mark of 56 in a season by a Mariners player. And whisper it quietly at this stage, but maybe … just maybe … he still has a shot at Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 homers in a season, set in 2022.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson also spoke postgame about just how special Raleigh’s achievement is, with him only wanting to change one thing about how things played out on Sunday. He said:

“My only regret is he didn’t stay out in front of the dugout a little longer and enjoy it. What an incredible feat. I don’t know how you can fathom how big that is. I mean you look at some of the people he has passed and just what the magnitude of that record is. Just a huge congratulations to Cal.”

Long-time friends share the special occasion together

Gilbert is a long-time friend and roommate of Raleigh, with them being drafted in the same year and coming up together through the farm system. Therefore it seemed apt that he was pitching on Sunday, and he said:

“What he did at the plate was fun to watch. It’s history in the making and to be a part of it and see it, is really cool. … He’s been doing this for the whole year and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Where Raleigh goes from here remains to be seen, but it is already an all-time great season for a catcher and indeed a player in general, with the possibility of being named AL MVP still very much in the mix. Wilson said:

“He’s starting to set a bar that’s equal to nobody else that’s done this. And that’s the newsworthy part of this thing is it’s getting to a point where you can’t compare him to anybody.”

Now the Mariners begin an important three-game home set against their Vedder Cup rivals, the San Diego Padres. It’s going to be a hard slog against a team which is level with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the NL West, but if the M’s can win the series then you can be sure Raleigh will play a significant role in making it happen.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

What’s your prediction for how many home runs Raleigh ends up with this season? Do you see him catching Griffey’s record? Also, how realistic are his chances of winning AL MVP? Let us know in the comments section below.

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