Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Inches Closer to History
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will end their season playing for pride if nothing else.
After being eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday, the Mariners came back to beat the Oakland Athletics 2-0 on Friday in Game 1 of the final series of the season.
Both of Seattle's runs in the win came off solo homers from Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh, respectively. Raleigh was playing designated hitter and Garver was playing catcher.
Before the game on Friday, Raleigh was named the Mariners' Player of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
And he continued to prove himself worthy of that honor by inching closer to a historic feat.
Raleigh's solo home run was his 32nd of the season and his 91st through his first four seasons in the big leagues.
Cal dumps it into The 'Pen 💣 pic.twitter.com/ColJBn6B0e
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 28, 2024
That mark is the second-most homers by a catcher through their first four seasons in the majors, one behind Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza.
With two games left in the season entering Saturday, Raleigh has a chance to either tie or break Piazza's incredible record.
Raleigh has already had a career-best season this year. He set the franchise record for the most single-season RBIs by a catcher, his 32 homers is the most by a catcher in team history (breaking his own mark of 30 from 2023) and he's led or co-led the league this season in defensive runs saved and runners caught stealing.
Seattle's BBWAA Player of the Year has put himself in Gold Glove and Silver Slugger consideration with the year he's had.
Raleigh won't get a chance to create more moments in the playoffs this season. But if the Mariners can bounce back and reach the postseason in 2025, then Raleigh continue to be a big reason why.
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