By this point in the 2025 season, it's safe to say no player in Seattle Mariners history has had a year quite like Cal Raleigh. And that includes the great Ken Griffey Jr.
The day after Raleigh hit his 50th home run of the season, Griffey appeared alongside his dad, Ken Griffey Sr., on MLB Network Radio's The Leadoff Spot to discuss the man affectionately known as Big Dumper.
Ken Griffey Jr. has had a lot of seasons like the one Cal Raleigh is having.
What was his mentality during those years?
"Stay out of my way." 😤😤😤#Mariners #TridentsUp
📺 The Leadoff Spot on @MLBNetwork with @StevePhillipsGM and @Xavier_Scruggs
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“It’s a lot of fun to watch,” Griffey Jr. said. “Day in and day out, just putting the team on his back. There’s a lot of guys who are doing things but he’s having an unbelievable season and it’s really fun to watch.”
By hitting his 50th on Sunday, Raleigh became the first player in MLB history to hit at least 20 home runs from both sides of the plate in the same season and joined Griffey Jr. as the only other Mariner to hit 50.
Xavier Scruggs, who cohosts alongside Steve Phillips, pointed out that both Griffey's have had seasons where they have put the team on their backs. He asked the pair what came to mind most in the midst of those campaigns.
“Stay out of my way,” Griffey Sr. replied.
Mariners C Cal Raleigh says home run milestone ‘doesn't seem real'
Raleigh hit a career-high 34 home runs in 2024, so having 50 before September came out of nowhere — even to Big Dumper himself.
“It doesn't seem real,” Raleigh said after Sunday's game, per MLB.com. “I mean, 50 home runs, it's kind of a crazy number to think of. … I thought I was a cool player when I hit five when I was young in high school or something. You hit five, you had all this power in the world. So it's just crazy.”
With the Mariners now 132 games into their season, Raleigh is on pace for just over 61, making Aaron Judge's American League record of 62 in clear reach. Manager Dan Wilson is trying not to lose sight of what Raleigh is doing, particularly as a catcher.
“He's starting to set a bar that's equal to nobody else that's done this,” he said. “And that's the newsworthy part of this thing is it's getting to a point where you can't compare him to anybody.”
