On Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels, the Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh launched his 40th home run of the season, a 416-foot blast off Jose Fermin, making him the first player in MLB to reach 40 homers in 2025. He hit his 133rd career home run, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise record for the most homers by a Mariners player in their first five seasons.

Raleigh’s 2025 campaign continues to rewrite the record books. With this milestone, he became just the seventh catcher in MLB history to hit 40 home runs in a single season, joining a prestigious list that includes Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza, Salvador Perez, Roy Campanella, Javy Lopez, and Todd Hundley. Raleigh had already broken Bench’s record for most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break earlier this year.

Raleigh is also now the fifth player in Mariners history to record a 40-homer season, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (six times), Alex Rodriguez, Jay Buhner, and Nelson Cruz. This was his first 40-home run season, after tallying 27, 30, and 34 in his previous three full campaigns. He had just two home runs in his debut year (2021).

Heading into Saturday, Raleigh was slashing .255/.368/.609 with a .987 OPS, ranking third in all of baseball behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. He also has 12 stolen bases and is on pace to exceed his previous career high of 100 RBI set in 2024.

The 2025 Home Run Derby champion and 2024 Gold Glove winner is on track to challenge both Salvador Perez’s record of 48 homers by a catcher and Judge’s AL single-season record of 62, set in 2022. With 59 games remaining, Raleigh would need 25 more home runs to surpass Judge and nine more to top Perez.

Since Judge is currently out due to a flexor strain injury, Raleigh leads the league in home runs and is emerging as a legitimate American League MVP candidate.

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