Cal Raleigh just carved his name alongside Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr. in baseball history. That’s the kind of company you want to keep.
The Mariners catcher launched his 35th home run on July 4th, setting a new career high while joining an exclusive club. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, only Ruth and Griffey had previously hit at least 35 homers through their team’s first 90 games.
Ruth pulled off this feat three times – in 1921, 1928, and 1930. He led all of baseball in home runs each time.
Griffey did it twice, both times wearing a Mariners uniform. In 1994 and 1998, Junior went on to lead the American League in home runs after his hot starts. Not bad precedent for Raleigh.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Raleigh’s on pace for something special from behind the plate.
Only eight catchers in baseball history have hit 40 home runs in a season. Raleigh’s current pace has him blowing past that mark. Salvador Perez holds the record with 48 homers in 2021, and Raleigh looks like he’ll cruise past that number.
The really wild part? Raleigh’s got a legitimate shot at Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs from 2022. Judge had 31 homers through 90 games that year – four fewer than Raleigh’s current total.
That puts Raleigh behind Judge in the current AL MVP conversation, but not by much. What makes this run even more impressive is the position he plays. Catching takes a toll on power numbers, but Raleigh’s making it look easy.
The Mariners haven’t had this kind of offensive production from behind the plate in years. If Raleigh keeps this pace, he’s not just chasing records – he’s rewriting what’s possible for catchers in the modern game.
