Cal Raleigh Keeps Hammering Homers for Seattle Mariners

For Raleigh, this has been a magical season. He also realizes how important a role Griffey Jr. has played in the team's history.

“He's pretty much like the face of the franchise, right?” Raleigh said in an interview with MLB.com. “Ken Griffey, Ichiro, Felix. You can throw Randy [Johnson], Alvin Davis, Edgar, Dan up there on the Mount Rushmore of Mariners." 

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh knows he's among Seattle immortals with his big season

"I mean, not just the Mariners, but all of baseball, right?" Raleigh said. "That iconic swing. And I think, too, is how many injuries the guy had — so many injuries. If he was healthy, he would have smashed the [all-time] home run record, I think, so it's even more impressive.”

Raleigh already is in chatter around MLB for potential American League MVP honors. It would not be a surprise if he's winning it after the season. Of course, Seattle wants to get back into contention for a potential American League West Division title. Still, Raleigh remains humble as he continues to pile up homer after homer.

“To be mentioned with that name, with somebody who's just iconic, is a legend, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,” Raleigh said. “I'm just trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.”

What's his home run pace looking like right now? Pretty good. Raleigh is in line to potentially hit 64 homers this season. That would surpass New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 set during his first AL MVP season in 2022.

With Raleigh mashing the ball, the Mariners hope that the "Big Dumper" can keep on delivering in the clutch.