Mariners’ Raleigh becomes first catcher to win Home Run Derby
Seattle Mariners star Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to win the All-Star Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta.
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Mariners catcher and Florida State alum Cal Raleigh leads MLB with 42 home runs through 115 games. But he has cooled off since winning the Home Run Derby.The single-season home run record is 73 by Barry Bonds. Aaron Judge holds the AL record with 62, while Salvador Perez has the most by a catcher with 48.
Cal Raleigh has seen his torrid home run pace slow down since becoming the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby. But there’s still time for the former Florida State star to turn it back on and break some records.
The switch-hitting slugger better known as “The Big Dumper” got some tater-mashing help when the Seattle Mariners added Eugenio Suarez before the trade deadline at the end of July. The addition of Suarez gives the Mariners two of the top five home run leaders in MLB this season. Raleigh went deep in Suarez’s first game with his new club, but he hasn’t mashed another in the six games since.
It tracks with his declining pace since belting 54 dingers during his Home Run Derby victory on July 15. He entered the All-Star break just one home run behind the record pace set by Barry Bonds, but since play resumed July 18, Raleigh has just four bombs in 19 games. Catching Bonds for the all-time single-season record is a near impossibility now, and breaking Aaron Judge’s AL record is starting to slip away as well.
But there’s still time. This isn’t Raleigh’s longest power outage of the season — he hit four homers over 20 games between April 14 and May 11, during which he went eight games without a big fly — and there are still a little less than two months of games to play. The former FSU backstop remains a frontrunner to win MVP and chase down history.
We’re monitoring the former Seminole’s home run pace over the rest of the season. Here’s everything you need to know about Raleigh’s home run total and where he stands on his pursuit of history, as well as when his Mariners play next, as well as how to watch:
How many home runs does Cal Raleigh have?
Entering play Aug. 8, Cal Raleigh has 42 home runs through 113 games, leading the majors. His most recent home run came in the fifth inning July 31 off Kumar Rocker of the Texas Rangers.
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What is the single-season home run record?
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants set the record in 2001 with 73 home runs. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees holds the American League record with 62 homers in 2022. Here are some of the other single-season records Cal Raleigh is chasing:
Catcher home run record: 48 (Salvador Perez, 2021)Mariners home run record: 56 (Ken Griffey Jr., 1997 and 1998)Why is Cal Raleigh called the Big Dumper?
It’s simple: He’s got a big butt. The nickname came from Jarred Kelenic when the two were Mariners prospects practicing with the big-league club during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. As Raleigh explained with Mookie Betts in an episode of “On Base,” Kelenic responded to the catcher’s call-up to the majors in 2021 with “Big dumper to the show,” and fellow players and fans thought it was hilarious.
“Now nobody calls me Cal,” Raleigh said. “It’s just Dumper, Dump, Big Dump.”
Raleigh has taken it all in good humor, appearing in comedic Mariners Commercials for “Big Dumper Trucking” and with the team marketing his platinum glove bobblehead from the reverse angle. His mom is less pleased with it, though.
Cal Raleigh has hit 42 home runs over the team’s 116 games through Aug. 7. Here’s how his pace compares with other record-setters:
All-time record: Through Aug. 7, 2001, Barry Bonds had hit 48 home runs through 113 games en route to 73 for the season.AL record: Through Aug. 7, 2022, Aaron Judge had hit 43 home runs through 109 games en route to 62 for the season. He had 46 dingers over the Yankees’ first 116 games of the season.Mariners record: Through Aug. 7, 1997, Ken Griffey Jr. had hit 34 home runs through 113 games en route to 56 for the season. He slugged 41 through Aug. 7, 1998, over 114 games en route to 56 for that season.Catcher record: Through Aug. 7, 2021, Salvador Perez had hit 27 home runs through 109 games en route to 48 for the season. He had 30 dingers over the Royals’ first 116 games of the season.Seattle Mariners schedule
Here’s a look at the upcoming games for Cal Raleigh and the Mariners. All times Eastern:
Friday, Aug. 8: 9:40 p.m. vs. Tampa BaySaturday, Aug. 9: 9:40 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay | MLB Network | FuboSunday, Aug. 10: 4:10 p.m. vs. Tampa BayTuesday, Aug. 12: 6:35 p.m. at BaltimoreWednesday, Aug. 13: 6:35 p.m. at BaltimoreThursday, Aug. 14: 1:05 p.m. at Baltimore | MLB Network | FuboFriday, Aug. 15: 7:05 p.m. at NY Mets | MLB Network | FuboMLB home run leaders
Stats current through Aug. 6 games:
1. Cal Raleigh, Seattle: 422. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia: 403. Shohei Ohtani, LA Dodgers: 39T4. Aaron Judge, NY Yankees: 37T4. Eugenio Suarez, Seattle: 37MLB home run record
Here are the best home run seasons in MLB history:
1. Barry Bonds (2001): 732. Mark McGwire (1998): 703. Sammy Sosa (1998): 664. Mark McGwire (1999): 655. Sammy Sosa (2001): 646. Sammy Sosa (1999): 637. Aaron Judge (2022): 628. Roger Maris (1961): 619. Babe Ruth (1927): 60T10. Babe Ruth (1921): 59T10. Giancarlo Stanton (2017): 59AL home run record
Here are the best home run seasons in American League history:
1. Aaron Judge (2022): 622. Roger Maris (1961): 613. Babe Ruth (1927): 604. Babe Ruth (1921): 59T5. Jimmie Foxx (1932): 58T5. Hank Greenberg (1938): 58T5. Aaron Judge (2024): 588. Alex Rodriguez (2002): 57T9. Ken Griffey Jr. (1997): 56T9. Ken Griffey Jr. (1998): 56Cal Raleigh stats
Stats current through Aug. 6 games, along with his rankings among league batters in parentheses:
Batting average: .249On-base percentage: .357Slugging percentage: .587 (3rd)OPS: .944 (4th)Hits: 105Doubles: 16Triples: 0Home runs: 42 (1st)RBI: 90 (T-3rd)Runs: 75 (T-8th)bWAR: 5.3 (6th)fWAR: 6.3 (2nd)