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David Schoenfield
The compilation of MLB athletes who did not achieve 60 home runs within a solitary season encompasses numerous celebrated hitters throughout the sport’s extensive chronicle, featuring figures such as Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, and Jimmie Foxx. As a matter of fact, Henry Aaron’s peak was under 50. This also holds true for Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Lou Gehrig, and a plethora of other Hall of Famers deeply entrenched in the game’s history.
However, Cal Raleigh, the unassuming and modest catcher representing the Seattle Mariners, has now secured his place within a remarkably distinguished echelon of baseball: the 60 home runs within a season tier. It represents an almost unbelievable, improbable, and astonishing accomplishment. This encapsulates baseball’s most captivating facet: the element of surprise. He has presented Mariners fans — and essentially all baseball enthusiasts — a compelling reason to offer their support consistently.
He integrates into a grouping that comprises Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Aaron Judge, Roger Maris, and Babe Ruth — incorporating three New York Yankees and three individuals with questionable legacies. Raleigh bears the strongest resemblance to Maris, the reserved and introverted slugger originating from North Dakota, who became apprehensive due to the pervasive attention from the press during his pursuit of Ruth’s record in 1961, ultimately concluding the season with 61 home runs.
Maris, in any event, held the title of reigning AL MVP as he entered the 1961 season. Raleigh, conversely, had not been honored as an All-Star prior to 2025. Subsequent to achieving his 55th and 56th home runs within the same game, surpassing Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for switch-hitters and matching Griffey’s franchise benchmark, he seemed almost self-conscious when addressing the accomplishment.
“I perceive that my name does not merit inclusion in the same context as iconic figures such as Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr.,” Raleigh stated. “I genuinely lack the vocabulary to fully convey it. I am uncertain regarding the appropriate response. I am confident that it will eventually sink in, but presently, the objective is to ‘maintain the momentum.'”
He has successfully sustained the momentum — extending to the 60-home-run milestone (accomplished through another two-homer performance, naturally). With his 60th long ball of the season officially registered, let’s examine each month of his noteworthy 2025 journey.
March/April
Number of home runs: 10
Longest home run: 422 feet in Cincinnati off Emilio Pagan (April 17)
Most clutch home run: Two-run blast off the Texas Rangers’ Chris Martin in the bottom of the eighth to give the Mariners a 5-3 victory (April 11)
Raleigh’s commencement of the season did not initially signal an impending record-shattering endeavor. Across his opening 13 contests, he maintained a .184 batting average, accompanied by two home runs and a mere three RBIs. Indeed, the most significant development pertaining to Raleigh at that juncture revolved around the Mariners’ declaration, a day prior to the regular season’s inauguration, that they had formalized a six-year, $105 million extension with him, effective from the 2025 season through 2030, incorporating a player vesting option for 2031. Notably, Raleigh had altered representation during the offseason, transitioning from Scott Boras to Excel Sports Management. Boras, renowned for advocating free agency for his clientele — and, undoubtedly, Raleigh’s agreement now appears to be a favorable transaction for the Mariners.
However, the home run against Martin on April 11 initiated a hot streak for Raleigh. He achieved home runs in six out of six games and a total of eight instances throughout the remaining span of the month. The home run against Pagan proved to be another impactful occurrence: It initiated the top of the ninth inning, and Randy Arozarena promptly followed with an additional home run, resulting in a tie game, which the Mariners eventually secured in 10 innings.
Though not evident at the time, the pursuit of 60 had commenced.
May
Number of home runs: 12
Longest home run: 432 feet in Texas off Jack Leiter (May 2)
Most clutch home run: Two-out, two-run HR off the Houston Astros’ Bryan Abreu in the seventh inning to turn a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 victory (May 23)
During the Mariners’ inaugural game in May, Raleigh recorded two home runs against Leiter: the initial one represented his longest blast of the month, launched from a first-pitch slider. The ensuing one was a grand slam, delivered off a 2-2 curveball — the inaugural of his three grand slams in 2025. Raleigh subsequently encountered a slight slowdown, remaining homerless for eight games. He then experienced a significant upswing, achieving a .313 batting average along with 10 home runs throughout his closing 18 games in May, featuring two additional two-homer performances against the Washington Nationals on May 27 and the Minnesota Twins on May 30. The Twins matchup propelled his OPS above the 1.000 threshold. Although only a third of the season had elapsed, discussions concerning potential MVP recognition gained traction.
June
Number of home runs: 11
Longest home run: 440 feet at Wrigley Field off Colin Rea (June 22)
Most clutch home run: Two-run shot off the Chicago Cubs’ Caleb Thielbar with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Mariners a 6-4 lead (June 20)
Raleigh inaugurated June with a home run, followed by another on June 5, and two more on June 7. He then endured seven games without a home run, subsequently unleashing six over an additional six-game period, encompassing a two-homer performance against the Cubs on June 20. Spanning from May 16 to June 23, Raleigh experienced his most productive stretch of the season, achieving a .313/.401/.794 slash line, accompanied by 19 home runs and 40 RBIs across 34 games.
The underpinning of his triumph:
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He has manifested considerable enhancement against left-handed pitchers this season: his statistics reveal 22 home runs and a 1.030 OPS when positioned on the right side of the plate, relative to 13 and a .696 OPS during 2024.
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He demonstrates proficiency in pulling fly balls.
The latter skill has empowered Raleigh to secure his passage to 60, notwithstanding the variance in distance attained by his home runs compared to other prominent sluggers this season, such as Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and Judge. Presented below is a detailed analysis of each player’s home runs in 2025, indicating Raleigh’s relative deficiency in home runs exceeding both 400-plus and 425-plus feet:
As evidenced, Raleigh’s augmented propensity to pull the ball amplifies his home run rate relative to fly balls, sustaining an extraordinarily elevated level, consistent with the other three athletes.
July
Number of home runs: 9
Longest home run: 440 feet in Seattle off the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bailey Falter (July 4)
Most clutch home run: A solo homer off the Milwaukee Brewers’ Nick Mears in the sixth inning — the only run in a 1-0 victory (July 22)
The saga of Cal sustained its course into July. He launched his second homer against Falter on July 4 and contributed another two-homer display against the Tigers preceding the All-Star break, entering the break possessing a .259/.377/.634 slash line, accompanied by 38 home runs across 94 games. The Mariners had contested 96 games by the break, positioning Raleigh on a projected 64-homer trajectory, rendering him a focal point of conversation at the Home Run Derby.
Which, as anticipated, he triumphed in, becoming the inaugural catcher to secure victory at the Derby, accompanied by his father, Todd Sr., as the pitcher and his 15-year-old brother, Todd Jr., assuming catching responsibilities. In a season adorned with endearing moments, a video capturing an 8-year-old Cal vocalizing “I’m the Home Run Derby champ! I’m the man, I’m the man, oh yeah, oh yeah” gained viral traction preceding the contest.
“That video transcends mere craziness,” the consistently understated Raleigh remarked from Truist Park in Atlanta. “I am at a loss as to the origins of that archival footage. Yes, it is undeniably surreal. One does not anticipate victory, nor does one foresee an invitation. Subsequently, an invitation materializes. The realization of victory accompanied by one’s family is exceptionally significant. What a remarkable evening.”
August
Number of home runs: 8
Longest home run: 448 feet in Seattle off the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez (Aug. 24)
Most clutch home run: Three-run HR off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win (Aug. 8)
Raleigh maintained a slump at the plate throughout this month. Following a .304 average in May and a .300 average in June, he recorded .194 in July and .173 in August, although the cadence of home runs remained consistent. His most impactful home run of the season occurred at home against the Rays. Confronting the formidable right-handed reliever Jax with runners stationed at first and second, Raleigh established a favorable count of two balls. Jax could have cautiously maneuvered around him given the two outs, but instead delivered a sweeper at the base of the strike zone — a far from disastrous offering, yet not precisely at the outer corner as Jax had intended — prompting Raleigh to crush it 417 feet beyond the center-field wall.
En route, he recorded his 49th home run, eclipsing Salvador Perez’s 2021 record for the highest number of home runs by a primary catcher. This achievement constituted part of a two-homer performance, encompassing Nos. 48 and 49, with No. 50 following on the ensuing day. He concluded the month with a five-game homerless stretch, however, entering September with 50 home runs across the 137 games the Mariners had contested until that juncture, positioning him on a 59-homer trajectory.
September
Number of home runs: 10
Longest home run: 426 feet in Atlanta off Rolddy Munoz (Sept. 7)
Most clutch home run: First-inning two-run shot off the Los Angeles Angels’ Kyle Hendricks (Sept. 14)
Raleigh achieved just one home run throughout the opening four September games, signifying that he had only recorded one home run during a nine-game interval — a period in which the Mariners had sustained a 2-7 record, barely maintaining the third wild-card berth by a half-game margin over the Texas Rangers, with three additional teams within 2½ games. Raleigh would proceed to launch two inconsequential home runs against the Atlanta Braves on the road: a ninth-inning shot during a 10-2 triumph and subsequently a ninth-inning three-run blast against Munoz in an 18-2 victory.
Abruptly, Raleigh’s pursuit of 60 and the Mariners’ aspiration for a division title were reignited. Beginning Sept. 7, the Mariners secured victory in 14 out of 15 games approaching Tuesday’s series against the Colorado Rockies, with Raleigh recording .286/.437/.714, accompanied by seven home runs. He notched his 10th two-homer performance of the season against the Kansas City Royals, surpassing Mantle’s switch-hitting record and matching Griffey’s club benchmark (he surmounted Griffey’s record with a blast against the Astros on Saturday). With his 11th — which transpired Wednesday night, propelling Raleigh to the 60-mark, he equaled Hank Greenberg (1938), Sosa (1998), and Judge (2022) for the record of two-homer games within a season.
I am uncertain if an 8-year-old Cal Raleigh ever envisioned an event of this nature transpiring, but the element that has endeared Raleigh to Mariners fans and solidified his status as one of the franchise’s most beloved athletes resides in this: He will derive greater satisfaction from the Mariners securing their inaugural division title since 2001 on Wednesday than from attaining his 60th home run.
