SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 48th home run on Sunday against the Athletics, tying the single-season record for catchers set by Salvador Perez with the Kansas City Royals in 2021.
The switch-hitting Raleigh, batting from the right side, homered off A's left-hander Jacob Lopez in the first inning to make it 2-0.
It was the 39th longball Raleigh has delivered as a catcher this year. He has nine while serving as a designated hitter.
Perez hit 15 home runs as a DH in 2021, and 33 at catcher.
Only four other players in big league history have hit at least 40 homers in a season while primarily playing catcher: Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.
Raleigh launched 27 homers in 2022, then 30 in 2023 and 34 last season.
A first-time All-Star at age 28, Raleigh burst onto the national scene when he won the All-Star Home Run Derby in July. He became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He is the second Mariners player to take the crown, after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.
Raleigh’s homer gave him 104 RBIs on the season. He is the first catcher with consecutive 100-RBI seasons since Piazza (1996-2000), and the first American League backstop to accomplish the feat since Thurman Munson (1975-77).
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Andrew Destin, The Associated Press
