“This isn’t for me. This is for the city, the fans, the people who believed.”
SEATTLE — As the Seattle Mariners’ home lights came on for the team’s first AL West title since 2001, Cal Raleigh bowed his head, wiped away sweat, and looked up at the octopus-like backs of more than 40,000 cheers. But what made the world turn its attention to him wasn’t his 60th home run of the season — it was the moment of silence behind it: a catcher, with his knuckles strung up and chalk around him, accepting the honor from his teammates: “You’re the best.”
Today, Sporting News officially named Cal Raleigh MLB Player of the Year — the main award voted on by players, and he won with 46 percent of the vote, besting contenders like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
Raleigh’s run wasn’t a fluke. Before the 2025 season, he faced questions about his position, about whether a catcher could carry a strong offense and a great defense. But this season, he made history: he was close to the team lead, leading the Mariners to a division title and breaking a series of records.
The highlight: becoming the first catcher in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season, and the first catcher to do so.
Raleigh wasn’t just hitting—he was defending his mission. Every time he took a swing at home plate, the cheers weren’t just for a swing, but for a man who promised himself and the fans: “We’re going to bring the Mariners back.”
After the West game, as his teammates and pitcher celebrated, Raleigh stood in a corner. The Standing Man watched the “2001” banner hang high, then carefully reached out to knock down the goalpost. Someone looked and realized: this was not the image of a star celebrating. This was the image of a player fulfilling a promise — to his teammates, to the city of Seattle, and to himself.
But the most touching part of the story wasn’t the record — it was how he talked about the job of “being allowed to fail.” When asked if he was ever afraid of not reaching this height, Raleigh just paused and said:
“There are nights when I wonder: Am I really worthy? But I’ve found that the answer isn’t on the scoreboard. It’s in how you handle your teammates, your family, how you stand up after each fall.”
You won’t see a long post about this. Raleigh rarely shares on social media, rarely talks about himself. He just did it — and that action had to be enough to make people understand what was going on.
The Player of the Year award may have been awarded, records may have been broken, but for Raleigh, the most memorable part was just beginning. “It’s not about me anymore,” he said with a tired smile after the small awards ceremony. “It’s about us — the Mariners, the city, the fans.”
And as the new season unfolds, the question isn’t whether Raleigh will hit another 60 home runs — it’s whether he’ll actually keep the promise he made to thousands of cheering fans.
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