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The Seattle Mariners swept the Detroit Tigers to end the first half 51-45. They started the week getting swept by the New York Yankees, so rolling into the break with momentum was important. Cal Raleigh has been sensational for the Mariners this year, with his 38 homers. But his tenth steal of the season on Sunday helped him join Reggie Jackson in the history books. USA Today's Bob Nightengale posted about the impressive list.
“Players in MLB history who hit 35 or more homers and stole at least 10 bases before the All-Star break: Reggie Jackson, 1969: 37 homers, 10 stolen bases. Cal Raleigh, 2025: 38 homers, 10 stolen bases,” Nightengale reported.
Raleigh stole second base in the ninth inning of the Mariners' 8-4 win on Sunday. That brought the catcher to ten steals, already the most in his career. He had only six last season and seven total in 464 games before this year. The Mariners' catcher is an MVP candidate because of his incredible power, but he has added another element to his game.
Raleigh leads baseball with 38 home runs and 82 RBIs heading into the All-Star Break. He is second to Aaron Judge in OPS with a 1.011 mark compared to Judge's 1.194. If Raleigh is going to swipe the AL MVP award off of Judge's mantle, stealing is a good way to help.
The Mariners have had a rollercoaster year so far, ending the first half in the final AL Wild Card position. Their AL West lead was as high as 3.5 games in late May, but their swoon matched up with Houston's rise after that. The Astros are playing great ball, but if Raleigh keeps the offense afloat, Seattle should be in playoff consideration late in the year.
Raleigh will participate in the Home Run Derby and start at catcher in the All-Star Game. After that, the Mariners host the Astros for a huge three-game series.
