Sep 24, 2025, 11:21 PM ET
Cal Raleigh became the seventh player in major league history to hit 60 home runs in a season Wednesday night, launching two solo shots as the Seattle Mariners clinched the American League West with a 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.
“It’s crazy. Sixty is — I don’t know what to say,” said Raleigh, who leads the majors in homers. “I didn’t know if I was going to hit 60 in my life. Just tonight, what a way to do it.”
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Batting left-handed in the first inning, the switch-hitting catcher connected off Tanner Gordon and sent a drive to right field that reached the top deck at T-Mobile Park for his 59th longball of the year.
“It was like a movie,” teammate Julio Rodriguez said of Raleigh’s moonshot. “I’m just so grateful that he’s on our team, that he’s able to do what he does. He’s so special, and I can’t say enough.”
In the eighth, batting left-handed again, Raleigh hit No. 60 off Angel Chivilli. Raleigh is four home runs ahead of Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and six in front of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
The only other players to reach 60 home runs in a season are Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998, ’99), Sammy Sosa (1998, ’99, 2001), Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022).
It was the 11th multihomer game for Raleigh this year, tied with Judge (2022), Hank Greenberg (1938) and Sosa (1998) for the MLB record.
With four games remaining in the regular season, Raleigh has a chance to pass Judge for the AL record. Judge hit 62 homers in 2022 to break the previous AL mark of 61 set by Maris in 1961.
Raleigh’s latest homers came four days after he surpassed Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise record with his 57th homer of the season. Griffey hit 56 in both 1997 and 1998.
Raleigh also broke Mickey Mantle’s MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. And the Seattle slugger has set a new standard for homers by a catcher, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021.
“When you look at how he has done it and the position that he plays — I was telling somebody earlier today that when you come off the field, you’re mentally and physically exhausted,” said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former major league catcher. “And for him to do what he’s done offensively and to do what he does behind the plate, I honestly don’t think we’ve seen this before. It’s been incredible. I think he deserves the MVP, no question.”
Raleigh also had a two-run double in the second and finished with four RBIs to give him 125 this season, most in the AL.
Seattle clinched its fourth AL West title and first since 2001. The Mariners are the only big league team never to reach a World Series.
“To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, mom and dad, obviously, was really cool,” Raleigh said, adding, “It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this, and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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