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**Raleigh Crushes Bench’s Record: Mariners Catcher Launches into History with Pre-All-Star Home Run Barrage**

**CHICAGO, IL** – Cal Raleigh etched his name into baseball history on Friday, surpassing Hall of Famer Johnny Bench’s long-standing record for most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break. Raleigh blasted his 28th and 29th home runs of the season in the Seattle Mariners’ dominant 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

The Mariners catcher broke the record in the seventh inning with his 29th blast of the season, a shot off Caleb Thielbar that landed deep in the left-field bleachers. This clutch performance also marked Raleigh’s fifth go-ahead home run in the seventh inning or later this season, leading all of Major League Baseball.

Raleigh reached the milestone in just 73 games, far surpassing Bench’s record set in 1970 when he hit 27 home runs in 87 games. “Any time you’re mentioned in even the same sentence with one of the best, if not the best ever to do it, is a special thing,” Raleigh said after the game. “I’m just very grateful. He’s one heck of a player… just very, very happy about it.”

Raleigh’s historic performance led the Mariners to victory, but his teammate Mitch Garver, also a catcher, joined the power surge by hitting two home runs and driving in five runs as a designated hitter. Raleigh and Garver are the first pair of primary catchers for a team to each homer twice in a game since Joe Ferguson and Steve Yeager did it for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1979.

The Mariners’ offensive explosion stole the spotlight from Sammy Sosa’s return to Wrigley Field, overshadowing the homecoming of the former Cubs slugger.

Raleigh’s first home run of the game came in the first inning off Matthew Boyd. The performance marks his sixth multihomer game of the season, tying Mike Piazza (1995) for the second-most multihomer games by a catcher in a season. With three RBIs on the day, Raleigh now has 63 RBIs on the season.

While Raleigh now holds the record for catchers, Barry Bonds maintains the overall MLB record for pre-All-Star break home runs, launching 39 for the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

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