A day after standing alone in the record books, the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh took his place alongside one of the all-time greats on Monday night.
With one out and the bases empty in the first inning, Raleigh hit a solo home run off San Diego Padres starter JP Sears, his 50th long ball of the season.
Raleigh became the second switch hitter in major league history to hit 50 home runs in a season, joining New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle. The blast also extends Raliegh’s record for home runs in a season by a player whose primary position is catcher — a mark the Mariners slugger broke on Sunday when he passed Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez’s record of 48 set in 2021.
Raleigh was serving as a designated hitter in the Monday game at Seattle.
According to ESPN, Raleigh, 28, is also the first player in history to hit at least 20 home runs from each side of the plate.
Raleigh entered Monday with a four-homer lead on the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, who did not go deep on Monday, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.
