Cal Raleigh joins Mariners legends in record books amid rough season

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cal Raleigh joins Ken Griffey Jr., other Mariners legends in record books amid rough season

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Aug 26, 2026 12:44 AM ET

A season removed from putting together one of the most historic seasons in MLB history, Cal Raleigh has managed to find new special moments in a disappointing 2026.

Raleigh has even started to find his stroke, heating up in August despite his season struggles. And he's actually been so hot that he's now made more franchise history.

Cal Raleigh made more Mariners history with his latest HR

After crushing three home runs on Monday in the Seattle Mariners' 9-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Raleigh also went yard on his first at-bat on Tuesday night, en route to helping Seattle win again, this time by the score of 4-1.

His four home runs on consecutive at-bats and in a two-game span place him on a short list for the Mariners franchise.

Cal Raleigh joined Mariners legends again

Raleigh is now only the fifth Mariner player to record four home runs in two games or fewer, joining Ken Griffey Jr., who did it in three separate seasons (1993, 1996, 1997), Edgar Martinez's five within two games in 1999, Mike Cameron's four from one game in 2002 and Kenji Johjima in 2006.

another day, another dump! pic.twitter.com/mjILLG7h8r
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2026

But to put Raleigh's full season in perspective, he still has yet to even reach 20 home runs after getting to 60 last year. Raleigh now has 18 home runs, 52 RBI — he had 125 in 2025 — and 32 runs scored in 350 at-bats and 99 games played. He's now still just hitting a pedestrian .169 with a .286 OBP and a .346 slug, a gigantic dip from the .589 he registered one year ago.

Cal Raleigh's drop-off after his memorable 2025 season has been significant

While Raleigh's magical 2025 season was so improbable that it's not surprising he would fall back a bit, his year-to-year drop-off is so significant that it will create intrigue about what type of slugger he will be in future seasons.

Prior to becoming Seattle's single-season home run king, besting Griffey's pair of 56-home run seasons, Raleigh's previous career-high was 34 from 2024, which was only the second time he hit more than 30 in his career at the time.

It's no coincidence that Raleigh's miserable season has led to the Mariners falling out of the playoff race at 64-69, a far cry from being on the verge of capturing the American League pennant last October.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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