The person known as “Big Dumper” is now a Home Run Derby victor, achieving this with significant support from his family members.
Cal Raleigh, a prominent figure from the Seattle Mariners, marked a milestone on Monday by becoming the first catcher in the event’s four-decade history to claim victory. He narrowly surpassed Junior Caminero, a third baseman from the Tampa Bay Rays, in the final round with a score of 18 to 15. Had Caminero won, he would have been the youngest Derby champion at just 22 years of age.
Raleigh is the second Mariner to achieve Derby success, following in the footsteps of Ken Griffey Jr., a three-time event winner. Moreover, Raleigh is the first switch-hitter to win the Derby outright; Ruben Sierra, the only other switch-hitter to win, shared the title back in 1998.
The 28-year-old Raleigh achieved this feat with his father, Todd, as his pitcher and his 15-year-old brother, Todd Jr., as his catcher, transforming the Derby into a memorable family occasion.
“This is incredibly meaningful,” Raleigh expressed during the ESPN broadcast. “Even if I hadn’t hit any home runs, it would have been just as enjoyable. I am amazed that we actually won. It feels surreal.”
Raleigh showcased a strong performance in the final round, though there were moments where it appeared Caminero might overtake him. However, Caminero’s pace waned towards the end of the allotted time, and he only managed to hit one of the four required homers in the bonus round.
This season has been exceptionally successful for Raleigh thus far. He leads MLB with 38 home runs as he heads into the All-Star break, putting him on track to potentially set records not only among catchers or Mariners players but across the board. He is currently projected to hit 64 home runs, which would surpass Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62, widely regarded as MLB’s “clean” home run record.
Winning the Home Run Derby further cements Raleigh’s status, but his journey is far from complete.
Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates were defeated in the semifinals by Caminero and Raleigh, respectively. Brent Rooker, James Wood, Matt Olson, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. were eliminated in the initial round.
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A controversy might have arisen had Caminero managed to hit a few more homers in the final round. Early in his final round, Caminero hit a ball that seemed destined for the top of the fence, but it was caught by one of the children assigned to catch non-home run balls.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the ball would have cleared the fence, but after reviewing the play during Caminero’s timeout, the umpires decided to award him the home run. Fortunately, this decision ultimately did not affect the outcome.
Although Oneil Cruz didn’t win, he delivered the most memorable home run of the night
Prior to the Derby, the player with the fewest home runs in the field had the second-best odds of winning, which was Cruz, who currently has 16 home runs this season.
Cruz was highly anticipated due to his Statcast capabilities. He hits the ball harder than any other player in MLB, and a batting practice setting seemed ideal for him to unleash that raw power.
Cruz lived up to expectations. First, he hit the longest home run of the night at 488 feet. He then surpassed that with a 513-foot blast.
This tied Aaron Judge for the longest home run in the Home Run Derby over the past decade, excluding the inflated numbers achieved at Coors Field.
Cruz ended up losing to Raleigh in the semifinal, but not before hitting another homer 498 feet, sending it out of the stadium.
Cal Raleigh barely survived the first round
Before reaching the final, Raleigh had to advance beyond the first round, which proved surprisingly challenging for the MLB home run leader.
Batting second-to-last in the eight-player field, Raleigh attempted to hit from both sides and finished with 17 homers — 10 from the left side and seven from the right. This tied him with Rooker.
Ties in the first round are broken by the longest home run, but both Raleigh and Rooker’s longest hits reached 471 feet. It appeared that the AL West rivals were headed for a swing-off, but then the exact measurements arrived from the Statcast monitoring office.
Raleigh’s homer measured 470.61 feet, while Rooker’s measured 470.53 feet. With a mere .08 feet, or about one inch, separating them, Raleigh advanced beyond the first round on his path to becoming Derby champion.
Stay tuned to Yahoo Sports for continued coverage, highlights, and more from the 2025 Home Run Derby:
