A Seattle Mariners fan snagged Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball after Wednesday night at Safeco Field and did what might be unthinkable. The man simply gave away the ball — potentially worth six figures on the open market — to a child near him in the right field stands.

It was a far cry from the Phillies fan who took a home run ball away from a child earlier this month.

Shout out the guy who caught #60 pic.twitter.com/AvlFe1HgkG

— Chuck Nickels (@hachtel24) September 25, 2025

The boy who ended up with the baseball and his father were then taken away by security to have the ball authenticated. Mariners media relations told The Athletic that the boy traded the ball for a bat signed by Raleigh and has been invited to attend batting practice on the field at a future game.

But the Mariners are also hunting for the man who awarded the ball to the child. Social media posts quickly popped up expressing appreciation for the man. So much so that the Mariners have made a public plea to find the unidentified man.

Mariners senior manager of communications Adam Gresch posted on X: “The Mariners would love to get in contact with this incredible fan. If you know him, please DM!”

The Mariners would love to get in contact with this incredible fan.

If you know him, please DM! https://t.co/0PCmAUpK16

— Adam Gresch (@adamgresch) September 25, 2025

As of Thursday afternoon, the Mariners haven’t been in touch with the man who originally snagged the baseball.

This isn’t the first time in recent memory that home run No. 60 landed in the player’s hand rather than on the auction block, though.

During the 2022 season, the 20-year-old man who corralled the 60th home run ball hit by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge handed the ball back right after the game. He agreed to swap the ball for a clubhouse meet-and-greet with Judge, four autographed baseballs and a signed game bat (not the one Judge used to hit the homer).

Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million in December 2022. The current record for a home run ball sold at auction was achieved in October of last year, when Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his historic 50/50 season sold for $4.392 million after sparking multiple lawsuits between fans who battled for ownership of it.

Raleigh is the seventh player in Major League history to reach the 60 home run milestone, following Judge, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris, and Babe Ruth.

Collector’s corner: A key Cal Raleigh rookie card to target

Raleigh’s 2022 Topps Chrome Rookie Autograph #RA-CR card is one of the top chases of that set, with other top rookie cards including those of Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Oneil Cruz, and Spencer Strider. Modern collectors value Topps Chrome for its standard rookie cards and refractor parallels (cards that are shinier and more scarce than base versions), but one of the biggest chases of the product is its rookie autographs. The 2022 Topps Chrome set includes 225 base cards and a rookie autograph checklist of 107 cards.

The card’s image of Raleigh with his eyes locked on the ball as he barrels up a pitch is perfectly fitting for someone now synonymous with hitting the long ball. The base version’s standard Chrome finish and blue-ink signature give it a simple, yet eye-catching look.

Why It Matters

Of the numerous Raleigh rookie autograph cards produced in 2022, his Topps Chrome #RA-CR card stands out as a favorite in the hobby in part because his signature is directly on the card. Many of his rookie autograph cards come in the form of him signing a sticker that is later applied to the card, which is generally considered less desirable than signing the card itself.

Collectors really started to take notice of Raleigh in June, when he hit 11 home runs and won AL Player of the Month honors. eBay searches for “Cal Raleigh rookie card” spiked more than 980 percent compared to the previous month.

PSA Graded Population and Current Market Value

Raleigh’s 2022 Topps Chrome base rookie autograph card has fewer than 150 examples graded by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), with the most common grade being a Gem-Mint PSA 10 (63 copies). When 2022 Topps Chrome was released, Raleigh hadn’t signed his cards in time for the product’s launch. As a result, Topps included them in packs via redemption cards, which gave collectors a code that they could then redeem through Topps to receive Raleigh’s autographed card at a later date. When freshly pulled Raleigh redemption cards first appeared on eBay upon release, sales were as low as $30. As we approach the end of Raleigh’s historic 2025 MLB regular season, PSA 10 sales have reached the $500 range. Ungraded and PSA 9 examples are slightly more affordable, fetching between $200 and $300. At the beginning of September, Raleigh’s Topps Chrome 1/1 Superfractor Rookie Autograph, the rarest parallel from this set, sold through Goldin Auctions for $63,440, nearly three times his second highest known card sale to date. —Tyler Holzhammer

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(Top photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)