A day after standing alone in the record books, the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh took his place alongside one of the all-time greats on Monday night.
With one out and the bases empty in the first inning, Raleigh hit a solo home run off San Diego Padres starter JP Sears, his 50th long ball of the season.
Raleigh became the second switch hitter in major league history to hit 50 home runs in a season, joining New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle. The blast also extends Raliegh’s record for home runs in a season by a player whose primary position is catcher — a mark the Mariners slugger broke on Sunday when he passed Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez’s record of 48 set in 2021.
Raleigh, serving as a designated hitter in the Monday game at Seattle, finished 1-for-4 in the Mariners’ 9-6 win.
According to ESPN, Raleigh, 28, is also the first player in history to hit at least 20 home runs from each side of the plate.
Raleigh now leads Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani — the next-closest players on the homer leaderboard — by five home runs.
–Field Level Media
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