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Last night, Cal Raleigh didn’t just rewrite Major League Baseball’s record books; he brought an entire childhood dream to vibrant, viral life. Hours after capturing the 2025 Home Run Derby crown in awe-inspiring fashion, a decades-old video surfaced on social media, the now-famous Mariners catcher, just eight years old, earnestly telling the world that one day, he’d be the Home Run Derby champion.
Big swings and a big win for Big Dumper.
Congrats Cal Raleigh on winning the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby! pic.twitter.com/8mbf9l4Jlm
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 15, 2025
An Unforgettable Night in Atlanta
At Truist Park, under a canopy of anticipation and summer lights, Cal Raleigh delivered a performance that will echo for years in All-Star lore. With his father, Todd Raleigh, serving up batting practice pitches, and his younger brother, Todd Jr., catching behind the plate, Cal blasted 18 home runs in the final round, edging out Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays by three long balls to secure the title.
CAL RALEIGH IS THE FIRST EVER CATCHER TO WIN THE HOME RUN DERBY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/M3piFRy3U7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 15, 2025
Major league home run leader at the break with 38 homers, Raleigh became the first primary catcher and just the second Mariners player, joining Ken Griffey Jr., to win the Derby. As Mariners legend Griffey Jr. looked on from the dugout, the torch of Seattle’s home run legacy passed clearly and spectacularly to “Big Dumper”.
History and Family Ties
Raleigh’s journey to last night’s historic win is one of perseverance, familial support, and love for the game. His father, Todd, a former college coach who once helmed Tennessee and Western Carolina, played the crucial role of Derby pitcher. Todd Jr., Raleigh’s 15-year-old brother, donned the catcher’s gear, making the moment an authentic family affair—one that left more than a few eyes misty among the Raleighs and the 41,912 fans in attendance.
This might be the coolest home run derby. Cal Raleigh wins it all after a video of his younger self manifesting it.
His dad was pitching and he brother was catching for him. What a moment for the Raleigh family. pic.twitter.com/BtyPDmCoZ7
— Marissa Voss™ (@marissavoss) July 15, 2025
“This is a dream come true. Anybody that’s ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this,” said Todd Raleigh Sr. in the postgame celebration, his voice thick with emotion. “To do it as a family has been really special. I don’t know why we’ve been blessed like this. God is great, and I can’t put it into words.”
For Cal, the Home Run Derby wasn’t just another competition; it was a moment he’d visualized since childhood. Stepping to the plate with his father on the mound and his younger brother behind him, he lived out his eight-year-old self’s wildest imaginings proving that, sometimes, baseball does offer a storybook ending.
The Dream That Came True
Shortly after the Derby, a tweet from MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer sent the baseball world buzzing: a grainy home video, shot some 20 years ago, showing little Cal Raleigh, all sandy brown hair and North Carolina innocence, stating with conviction that he would grow up “to be the Home Run Derby champion”. The timing was uncanny, mere hours after Raleigh turned that childhood ambition into reality.
“When Cal Raleigh says he has childhood memories dreaming of growing up and competing in the Home Run Derby, he really means it,” the tweet read, accompanied by the clip that swiftly went viral. By dawn, thousands of fans and current big leaguers alike were reliving young Raleigh’s earnest prophecy.
When Cal Raleigh says he has childhood memories dreaming of growing up and competing in the Home Run Derby, he really means it.
📽️ ⚾️Video evidence circa 20 years ago, when Cal was only 8-years-old (shared via his dad, Todd, who will be throwing to him in Atlanta): pic.twitter.com/ABtKaXVC6Q
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 7, 2025
Raleigh himself reacted with characteristic humility and excitement. “I’ve watched that video more times than I can count,” he said, laughing during his press conference. “Every kid should get to chase their dream like that. To really do it, with my family here, it’s… it’s unbelievable”.
As the sun rose in Atlanta this morning, Cal Raleigh’s Derby heroics remained the talk of baseball, and the image of him, at eight years old, predicting this triumph is now forever etched in fans’ memories. His story offers a lesson for any young player swinging a bat and staring off toward the fences, don’t stop dreaming. Sometimes, if you believe, those childhood ambitions really do clear the wall.
