Mariners' Cal Raleigh Ties Yankees Legend's Record

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh wrote his name into MLB's record book by hitting his 50th home run of the season. And in doing so, Raleigh took his place alongside a New York Yankees legend.

"Raleigh joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters with 50 homers in a season and became the eighth player in major league history to reach the half-century mark in August," ESPN reported Monday after the Mariners' 9-8 win over the San Diego Padres.

"He also is the first to smack at least 20 homers from each side of the plate in a season, according to ESPN Research."

Raleigh already passed Mantle's record for most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter, with the Hall of Famer doing it eight times in 1961, ESPN reported.

In July, Raleigh won the Home Run Derby, becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, according to ESPN.

Raleigh hit No. 50 off former Yankees pitcher JP Sears. The ball traveled an estimated 419 feet and helped the Mariners move within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.

Up next for Raleigh is the Seattle team record of 56, which club icon and first-ballot Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. set in 1997 and matched in 1998. Raleigh is just the second player in team history to reach 50 home runs.

Raleigh already set the record for most home runs by a catcher, eclipsing the 48 hit by Kansas City Royals backstop Salvador Perez in 2021.

On Tuesday, MLB.com released the results of its latest American League MVP poll. The panel of 37 experts listed Raleigh as the favorite, giving him 22 first-place votes.