Cal Raleigh, welcome to the 50 home run club.
Taking the field against the San Diego Padres in a late summer showdown, the Seattle Mariners didn't have to wait long to get points on the board, as, in the very first inning, the man affectionately known at the “Big Dumper” made his presence known, smashing a ball into the upper deck for his 50th home run of the season.
Cal Religh launches home his 50th HR of the season 🤯
He is the first catcher to ever record 50+ HR in a single season!
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 26, 2025
While fans in T-Mobile Park clearly knew this play was important, as that many home runs is an incredible accomplishment no matter who hits them, this blast will go down in history because it marks the first time an MLB catcher has ever hit 50 home runs in a season.
That's right, while Salvador Perez's record was already broken by Raleigh earlier in the month when he hit No. 48 and No. 49 against the Athletics, this marked a whole new world for catchers at the MLB level, with Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners record of 56 very much in play with roughly a month left to play in the regular season.
Already considered one of the best power-hitting catchers in the business, with two straight 30 home run seasons on his resume, Raleigh has taken things up a level to heights few could have even imagined heading into the season. While only time will tell how many more homers he will hit before the end of the season, with 50 in the bag, Cal Raleigh is essentially competing against himself for the greatest hitting season by a catcher in MLB history, with only the Mariners record left to chase in his pursuit of greatness.
