Seattle Mariners Power-Hitting Utility Man Ties Personal History with Homer

Seattle Mariners first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley tied a career-high in single season home runs with his 19th of the year on Tuesday.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Luke Raley tosses to first base during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium. / Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

SEATTLE — Tuesday's game between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres was a night of history.

In the Padres' 7-3 win, Manny Machado became the Padres' franchise's all-time leader in home runs with 164. Cal Raleigh also tied a single-season career-high in home runs with his 30th. It was his 89th homer through his first four years — tied for the second-most by a catcher over that span only to Hall of Famer Mike Piazza (92).

Raleigh and Machado's respective home runs on Tuesday both set them apart in different respects of MLB history.

But Seattle's resident utility man Luke Raley set some personal history with his own homer on Tuesday.

Raley hit his 19th home run of the season in the bottom of the second on Tuesday. His solo shot to right field tied a single-season career-high in homers and gave him a new single-season high in RBIs with 50.

Raley rakes! 💥 pic.twitter.com/T8iyaiGu5Z

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 11, 2024

Raley has been one of the Mariners most productive hitters since Aug. 1.

Since then, Raley is hitting .281 (23-for-82) with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.

With 17 games left in the season, there's a good chance Raley will set a new career-high in homers before the year is done. But his contributions have expanded past what he does at the plate.

Raley has been used in all three outfield positions and has been Seattle's starting first baseman (mainly against right-handed pitchers) since the Mariners traded former All-Star Ty France to the Cincinnati Reds.

Raley has become an important piece of the Mariners clubhouse and his career-best season proves that. He's hitting .240 this season to go with his 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.

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