SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 24: Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the first inning against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park on August 24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / Getty Images)
SEATTLE - Cal Raleigh homered twice to set a new MLB record for catchers in a season, Logan Gilbert struck out a career-high 13 batters, and the Seattle Mariners hammered the Athletics 11-4 on Sunday afternoon.
Raleigh homered in back-to-back innings against Sacramento starter Jacob Lopez to first tie, then break, the single-season record for home runs by a primary catcher, which had previously been held by Salvador Perez.
Raleigh will become just the second different Mariner in franchise history to reach 50 home runs with his next homer, joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who hit 56 home runs in 1997 and 1998.
"We had a chance to see all-time history today, which is really cool. 49 homers in a season for a catcher, unbelievable," manager Dan Wilson said.
"He’s starting to set a bar that’s equal to nobody else that’s done this. … It’s getting to a point where you can’t compare him to anybody."
Raleigh's first-inning blast against Lopez pulled Raleigh even with Perez for the all-time record. Perez had 48 home runs for the Kansas City Royals in 2021 to set the prior record for most by a catcher. Perez's season surpassed the 45 home runs of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970.
Raleigh has now hit 40 home runs this season in games when playing catcher. Javy Lopez holds the record for most home runs while playing catcher in a single season with 42 for the Atlanta Braves in 2003.
"Obviously, our fans are amazing and to do it here -- obviously to do it anywhere would be really special -- but to do it here in front of the fans and to give them that and see the appreciation was a really cool moment, on top of obviously a really good game," Raleigh said.
Raleigh received a curtain call from the fans with chants of "MVP!" ringing throughout the stadium.
"Honestly, I didn't even hear them," he said. "I was just so... kind of like the adrenaline was pumping with what happened, and with everybody on their feet cheering. I just didn't even notice. It was just a really cool moment to go out there and tip the cap. It's not something you get to do every day."
The two blasts from Raleigh helped the Mariners build an early 5-1 lead as Gilbert cruised through the Athletics lineup.
Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Victor Robles each added a pair of RBI as well as the Mariners chased Lopez from the game before recording a single out in the third inning.
After a lead-off single from Randy Arozarena, Raleigh crushed a middle fastball from Lopez into the upper deck in left field for a 448-foot blast that gave Seattle an early 2-0 lead. Raleigh's 48th of the season matched Perez's record, which was set in 2021 with the Kansas City Royals.
Jacob Wilson briefly trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the second inning. A solo home run off Gilbert into the A's bullpen would be the only run allowed by Gilbert in his start. Five of the first six outs in the game recorded by Gilbert were via strikeout. He would also strike out the side in the fourth inning for Seattle.
"Just getting back to what makes me successful, what feels good," Gilbert said. "Working more like north-south mindset, over the top, out front, all that kind of stuff. And really just getting ahead. We say it all the time, but last week I was really bad at first pitch strikes. Today, I was really good at first pitch strikes. So that kind of stuff's really simple, but completely changes the game."
Gilbert threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 22 batters, and didn't have a single 2-0 count during the game.
"Today I'd say it was he most consistent and the best stuff I've seen him have of all year, for sure," said Raleigh, who has been close with Gilbert since the two roomed together in the minor leagues. "Obviously the strikeouts were huge, but he was getting ahead of batters. He walked one or two, maybe. But, you know, he was pretty much in the driver's seat all day."
Arozarena made it a 3-1 game with two outs in the third inning with an RBI double that scored Jorge Polanco. Then a changeup from Lopez caught too much of the middle of the plate again and Raleigh delivered his record-breaking blast into the A's bullpen for a 5-1 Mariners lead.
Raleigh has already had a spectacular season and there's still five weeks left. Among his accomplishments this season, Raleigh has set the home run record for a catcher, became the first catcher to ever win the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game. He could break Mickey Mantle's record for most home runs ever by a switch-hitter, which sits at 54 home runs from the 1961 season, and could break Griffey's mark for most home runs by a Seattle player ever.
And that's just offensively. It comes on the heels of Raleigh winning a Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in the American League last season.
"I think as much as I want to talk about the homers, I think I want to talk about his blocking today more. What a great job he did," Wilson said. "And when you think about Logan and setting a career-high in strikeouts, the confidence he had in the split, you know, and Cal being able to stop it was, it all goes hand-in-hand. And so when you talk about Cal Raleigh, you talk about a lot of home runs, but he does the job behind the plate and he does it very well."
Raleigh is clearly appreciative of the notoriety his season has brought to himself and the Mariners this season, but he said handling the attention has been the toughest part of the campaign.
"I'd say the hardest part is just trying to stay focused on the main goal, and that's winning baseball games and helping this team get to where we need to get to," Raleigh said. "And obviously, you know, doing this stuff has been awesome and amazing, but at the same time, it's more focusing on the other guys in that room, focusing on the pitchers, focusing on, you know, the team goals, rather than myself. And usually when I'm focused on that, good things happen.
"Just not trying to focus on myself, not trying to put too much pressure on myself, not trying to chase anything, not trying to hit any kind of certain milestone. I think that's kind of been the biggest thing, just trying to keep those distractions away for sure."
Gilbert did something he never does when Raleigh came to the plate for his third at-bat of the game after his first two home runs.
"I'm always in the tunnel during everything when we hit," Gilbert said. "And his third at-bat, I came out just to watch, and I never do that, but he set the record, he hit two home runs, and I'm like, he's going to hit another one."
Raleigh promptly struck out.
"That's on me," Gilbert said with a laugh. "Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. But I mean that just says a lot about what he’s doing at the plate. It’s like must-watch TV when he’s just having a normal at-bat. It’s crazy."
Said Raleigh: "The whole thing's cool, just with where we're at, the fact that we're both still doing it here, and we're just continuing to prove ourselves at this level,. It's been a lot of fun. And obviously he's a great friend, great teammate as well. And to see him doing stuff like that's really cool. And probably didn't think we'd be doing this back in Low-A, High-A."
Lopez's problems continued into the third inning for Sacramento. He walked Mitch Garver and J.P. Crawford around a single for Polanco to load the bases. Robles then delivered a two-run single to left field that scored Garver and Polanco to give Seattle a 7-1 lead and chase Lopez from the game.
Eduarniel Núñez entered and hit Arozarena with a pitch to load the bases again for Seattle. After a Raleigh strikeout, Rodríguez flared a single to shallow center that scored Crawford and Robles for a 9-1 lead.
Lopez finished with all nine runs on his ledger on six hits and six walks in two-plus innings for the A's.
Carlos Vargas replaced Gilbert and allowed three singles, had a wild pitch, and hit Luis Urias with the bases loaded as the A's made it an 11-3 game. Vargas bounced back with a double play to Shea Langeliers to get out of the jam and blunt any further attempt at a rally.
An RBI groundout from Wilson against Tayler Saucedo in the ninth inning set the final score at 11-4.
Cal Raleigh hits 48th, 49th home runs of season to set new MLB record for catchers
Cal Raleigh set a new MLB record for most home runs in a single season by a catcher, hitting his 48th and 49th home runs of the season off Athletics starter Jacob Lopez. Raleigh surpassed Salvador Perez's prior mark of 48 home runs.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle.
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