SEATTLE — History was made at T-Mobile Park. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh officially became the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season — a record only the greatest legends have ever reached.
Home run No. 60 came in a thrilling game against the Texas Rangers, when Raleigh launched a ball over the right-field fence in the seventh inning, sending the crowd of more than 40,000 into a frenzy. Teammates rushed out of the dugout, and many fans in the stands couldn’t hold back tears, knowing they had just witnessed an immortal moment.
Before Raleigh, only six players had accomplished the feat: Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Aaron Judge. The inclusion of Raleigh — a catcher not considered as powerful as other professional sluggers — in this list of legends has made the baseball world “explode” with surprise.
“I never thought I would be mentioned with those names,” Raleigh said tearfully after the game. “Every time I swing the bat, I just think about contributing to the team. To be put next to Babe Ruth or Aaron Judge is really a crazy dream.”
Not only is Raleigh’s achievement a personal record, it also has special meaning for the Mariners — a team still eager to conquer its first World Series title in history. Raleigh has become the heart of a young and hungry group, a new symbol for the entire city of Seattle.
Experts say this 60 HR explosion could be the turning point, bringing the Mariners back to the position of a top candidate in the postseason. “Raleigh didn’t just hit the ball, he carried the team with his spirit,” a Mariners coach asserted.
However, Raleigh’s feat also reignited debates that have never cooled in MLB: the steroid era, the difference between eras, and the question of whether the 60 HR is as “clean” and “sacred” today as it was in the days of Maris or Ruth. Still, even the most skeptical would find it hard to deny that swinging the 60th bat was an emotional moment, a reminder of why baseball remains “the game of the American dream.”
Raleigh is only 27, and hitting 60 HR could be just the beginning of a brilliant career. The Mariners have vowed to build the team around the catcher for years to come, with the ambition of bringing the first championship trophy to Seattle.
Tonight, as fans still cheered in the streets, Cal Raleigh didn’t just make history — he opened a new chapter, one where the humble catcher stood shoulder to shoulder with the immortal legends of American baseball.
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