Monday night in Seattle, the Mariners’ catcher Cal Raleigh did something that puts him in the rarest of company: he launched his 50th home run of the season. And remember, he’s not a slugging first baseman, not a corner outfielder, but a catcher. That is one of the most grueling, punishing positions in the sport.
Here’s how it went down: bottom of the first inning, Padres on the mound, and Raleigh steps up. The crowd is buzzing, the pitch comes in, and boom — he unloads. The ball rockets off his bat at 107.2 miles per hour and soars into the upper deck of T-Mobile Park. The place erupts. Seattle fans know history when they see it, and they just watched their backstop etch his name alongside baseball immortals.
How Rare is This Milestone in MLB?
Raleigh became just the 33rd player in MLB history to reach the 50-homer milestone. Before Monday night, the feat had only been achieved 50 times in all of baseball’s long, storied history. Now it’s been done 51 times, and Raleigh owns one of those spots. And for Mariners fans, the accomplishment is extra sweet: the only other Seattle player to ever hit 50 in a season? None other than Ken Griffey Jr., the Kid himself, who went back-to-back with 56 in both ’97 and ’98. That’s the neighborhood Raleigh just moved into.
After the game, Raleigh was almost in disbelief. “It doesn’t seem real,” he admitted. “I mean, 50 home runs. It’s kind of a crazy number to think of… I remember thinking back when I thought I was a cool player when I hit five in high school.” That humility, paired with the sheer muscle he’s showing this season, makes the achievement even more remarkable.
Raleigh still has 30 games left on the calendar. Thirty chances to chase down Griffey’s franchise record of 56. Mariners fans are already dreaming about it, and why not? He is locked in, mashing baseballs into orbit, and carrying Seattle on his broad shoulders into September.
