Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Sets New Career-High in Home Runs
The Seattle Mariners are still trying to book their trip to the playoffs and in September, several players have stepped up in an effort to bring October baseball to the Pacific Northwest.
One of those players has been catcher Cal Raleigh, who has been consistent all season for the M's.
Raleigh has put himself in Gold Glove and Silver Slugger consideration this season by rewriting several Mariners records and leading the league in multiple categories.
Raleigh has set the single-season franchise record for RBIs by a catcher, has led the league or co-led the league in runners caught stealing for most of the year, leads the league in defensive runs saved by a catcher and leads the league in home runs by a catcher.
And Raleigh just set another personal mark during a game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Raleigh, playing as the designated hitter, hit a solo home run to left field in the top of the third inning. That home run gave Seattle a 2-0 lead and was his 31st of the season — a new single-season career-high for Raleigh. It broke his previous mark of 30 that he set in 2023.
No. 3️⃣1️⃣ for No. 2️⃣9️⃣! pic.twitter.com/Xl7ho0Wlgg
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 22, 2024
The home run also continued to move Raleigh up a very prestigious list. It was Raleigh's 90th home run in his career. That's the second-most homers by a catcher in their first four major league seasons. The only catcher exceeding Raleigh in that category is Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza (92).
Raleigh has been long-endeared to Mariners fans. He hit a walk-off home run on Sept. 30, 2022, against the Oakland Athletics to send Seattle to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.
The Mariners hope that Raleigh's career-best season will help lead to another playoff berth.
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