Navigation

© Zeal News Africa

Cal Raleigh has 2-homer day, reaches 38th home run this season in Mariners' win over Tigers

Published 2 days ago2 minute read

Cal Raleigh just can't stop hitting dingers — and making history.

The Seattle Mariners catcher had another big game on Friday, hitting two home runs in the Mariners' 12-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Raleigh's two homers marked his 37th and 38th of the season — with the second one being a grand slam in the top of the ninth.

Advertisement

The latest tallies bring Raleigh within one home run of a stunning record: If Raleigh gets another homer this weekend, he will tie Barry Bonds for the most homers (39) before the All-Star break. Bonds set the record in 2001; however, his association with MLB's steroids era has put an asterisk on many of his stats.

Raleigh has been on a tear this year, already tying his previous career high for home runs despite only being halfway through the season.

In addition, Raleigh is one of few high-performing switch hitters in the league, and has hit a number of extra records as a result of that. Last month, the catcher became the first switch hitter to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break.

Advertisement

Friday’s game was Raleigh's eighth multi-homer game this season, which has him tied with Mickey Mantle (1961) for most by a switch hitter in a season. Raleigh still has 68 games this season to unseat Mantle — and possibly keep going.

Raleigh has been well-rewarded as a result of his heroics: The catcher will participate in his first All-Star Game and his first Home Run Derby next week. Now, though, he will have two more games against the Tigers to shoot for Bonds' record — and beyond.

Long-term, Raleigh will be aiming for MLB's home run title. He currently leads Aaron Judge, whose 34 home runs are second, by four homers; Shohei Ohtani is next on the list with 32.

Origin:
publisher logo
Yahoo Sports
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

You may also like...