Sun Jun 22 18:40:00 UTC 2025: **Cal Raleigh’s Historic Home Run Pace Continues Despite Mariners Loss**
**CHICAGO** – Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh continues to cement himself as one of baseball’s elite power hitters, launching his 30th home run of the season in a 10-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
Raleigh’s solo shot in the ninth inning followed a Friday performance where he hit two home runs, bringing his season total to 29 and surpassing Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break. He also claimed the title for most home runs before the break by a switch hitter.
“Thirty home runs is impressive,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged. “And we’re not even at the halfway point. He’s good.”
Raleigh’s torrid pace puts him in rare company. Only eight other players in MLB history have reached 30 home runs within their first 75 games of a season, a feat last accomplished by Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.
While the Mariners fell short against the Cubs, Raleigh’s individual performance has garnered widespread attention. He is currently leading the American League catchers in All-Star voting with more than 1 million votes.
Despite the presence of heavy hitters like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, Raleigh now leads the majors in home runs, surpassing Judge by three and Ohtani by five. According to FanGraphs, Raleigh also ranks second in the American League in WAR (4.9) and wRC+ (187).
Dubbed “Big Dumper” by fans, Raleigh has shown consistency throughout his career, hitting 30+ homers in three consecutive seasons. At just 27 years old, he is on pace for a record-breaking season, and has firmly placed himself in the MVP conversation.
First Piper 