Do you want a Home Run Derby story with heart, history, and a little “Big Dumper” magic? Buckle up, because Cal Raleigh didn’t just swing for the fences. Piggybacking off his historically good season, he brought his whole family along for the ride, rewrote the record books, and left baseball fans everywhere grinning from ear to ear.
Let’s start with this: No catcher had ever won MLB’s Home Run Derby. No switch-hitter had either. Cal Raleigh? He’s now the answer to both trivia questions. And he did it on a summer night in Atlanta that looked like something ripped straight out of a baseball fairy tale. His dad throwing him pitches. His 15-year-old brother squatting behind the plate. His mom in the stands holding her breath like the rest of us. Goosebumps, right?
Cal Raleigh Becomes First Catcher to Win MLB Home Run Derby
Raleigh—known affectionately, and hilariously, as “Big Dumper”—isn’t just a guy with a nickname that gets baseball Twitter fired up. The man is straight-up mashing this year. Leading the league with 38 homers at the All-Star break. That’s right—he’s just one shy of Barry Bonds’ mythical 2001 midseason mark of 39. Think about that. And then add in the fact that he just slugged his way to 54 home runs in one night at Truist Park? Yeah, this isn’t a hot streak. It’s a full-blown power revolution.
Family Affair: Raleigh’s Dad and Brother Help Power Historic Win
Now, was it all smooth sailing? Not exactly. The first round got spicy. Raleigh tied with Brent Rooker for the final spot to advance. Both launched 470-foot moonshots. But guess what? Cal’s went one inch farther. One. Inch. Baseball drama doesn’t get any better than that.
From there, it was like watching a man on a mission. He hit from both sides of the plate. He didn’t just advance—he dominated. Nineteen homers in Round 2. Eighteen more in the final. And when the last one cleared the wall, you could practically hear every Mariners fan yelling from Seattle to Savannah.
Seattle Mariners Star Cal Raleigh Hits 54 Home Runs at Derby
Afterwards? Pure emotion. Cal holding the trophy next to his dad and little brother, still processing what just happened. “You don’t think you’re going to win it. You don’t think you’ll ever get invited,” he said. And then? “The fact that you win it with your family, super special. Just what a night.”
And let’s be real—”Big Dumper” just made one big statement: catchers can rake, history can be rewritten, and baseball can still give us those once-in-a-lifetime moments that make you fall in love with the game all over again.
Cal Raleigh, take a bow.
