Kansas City — On a night that the Seattle Mariners and baseball fans will remember forever, Cal Raleigh made history: He passed the legendary Mickey Mantle to become the switch-hitter with the most home runs in a season, while also tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s record of 56 home runs in a season.
At Kauffman Stadium on Thursday night, Raleigh didn’t just do something big—he nailed his name into the switch-hitter record books in the third and fourth innings. His 55th home run – a 419-foot drive over the right fence – surpassed Mantle’s century-long record from 1961, and a minute later, in the fourth inning, Raleigh used the other side of the field to hit his 56th home run – tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s single-season record for the Mariners.
What’s more, both homers came from different sides of the field – a feat few have accomplished. Raleigh has now had two games this season with home runs from both sides of the field (switch-hitter multi-homers), and the Mariners have done the same only five times in their history.
The 28-year-old Mariners catcher isn’t just breaking records – he’s closing in on the AL MVP. With 56 home runs and 118 RBIs so far this season, Raleigh leads the American League in two key categories. MLB.com
In addition, this was Raleigh’s tenth game this season with at least two homers—a clear sign that he’s not just explosive in each game, but is demonstrating exceptional consistency.
Raleigh needs just six home runs in his remaining 11 games to match Aaron Judge’s 2022 record of 62 home runs—the highest AL total ever.
As a catcher, Raleigh currently holds the MLB record for most home runs in a season with 45 homers as a catcher.
In the fifth inning, the Mariners led 10-1, and Raleigh had three hits in three opportunities (3-for-3), along with three RBIs—a “no-miss” performance.
By surpassing Mantle – who was already a legend whose accomplishments would be held up as the benchmark by many later switch-hitters – Raleigh was not only breaking records, but changing the way people viewed the “two-handed” player.
The Mariners, who had struggled for years, can now boast that they have a shining star breaking through in the history of the team and of MLB.
Cal Raleigh leaves Kauffman Stadium tonight not just as a record-breaker, but as a story of determination, strength, and ambition. If he continues this way, who knows: maybe before the season is over, Raleigh’s name will be mentioned not just as the man who “surpassed Mantle,” but as the man who established a new era for switch-hitters – the man who could break seemingly impossible barriers. MLB, fans, and history are waiting to see what the next step for this “Big Dumper” will be.
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