Cal Raleigh has and will continue to be at the center of many debates moving forward, but regardless of what happens in the highly intriguing American League MVP race, it is important to properly recognize his historic 2025 campaign. The Seattle Mariners catcher added to his one-of-a-kind year with a monster outing versus the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, which saw him accomplish something that nobody else has ever done before.
Raleigh hit two 415-foot-plus home runs in a 12-5 win in Kauffman Stadium, increasing his MLB lead and becoming the first player to ever record multi-dinger games against 10 different teams in the same season, according to OptaSTATS. Following a dry spell in July and August, he is surging in September. The All-Star's excellence is translating to the standings, as Seattle is riding a 10-game winning streak.
When reflecting on the season that Raleigh has put together in 2025, it is hard to not marvel at all the milestones he has collected. The 2024 Platinum Gold Glove winner already has the single-season record for most homers by a catcher and switch hitter and is only one long ball away from surpassing Ken Griffey Jr. in Mariners' single-season history. He has done it all while squatting down on his knees behind home plate in 114 games.
If Seattle (83-68) maintains its slim advantage in the AL West, Raleigh's greatness will only be amplified. That does not mean he will claim MVP honors over New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who is achieving offensive mastery yet again, but the 28-year-old's season will undoubtedly have a special place in baseball lore.
Cal Raleigh is now batting .247 with 56 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .361 on-base percentage, .590 slugging percentage and .951 OPS. Following a dominant performance versus the Royals, which saw Dominic Canzone blast three homers in his own right, the man they call “The Big Dumper” will try to stay red-hot and enter franchise immortality.
