Mariners’ Cal Raleigh breaks single-season HR record for catchers

Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners broke the major league record for most home runs in a season by a primary catcher, going deep in each of his first two at-bats Sunday against the visiting Athletics.

Raleigh hit two-run blasts in each of the first two innings off left-hander Jacob Lopez, giving him an MLB-leading 49 this season.

That broke the mark of 48 for a player who primarily plays catcher, set by Kansas City's Salvador Perez in 2021.

Batting right-handed in the first inning, Raleigh blasted a fastball from Lopez 448 feet to left field for a two-run shot that scored Randy Arozarena, who'd led off the inning with a single. That gave Raleigh his 48th dinger of the year, matching the Royals stalwart's mark.

In the second inning, Raleigh swatted a first-pitch changeup from Lopez over the fence in left-center. The blast, which also scored Arozarena, traveled 412 feet.

The record requires a player spend at least 75 percent of his games at catcher. Raleigh has been Seattle's primary catcher since 2022.

Raleigh, 28, is a first-time All-Star this year and won the Home Run Derby in July. The two home runs extended his career-best RBI total to 106, which leads the American League.

After Sunday, Raleigh will have another 31 games to add to the record. Perez had 48 home runs and 121 RBIs in the 2021 season, leading the majors in both categories, and won a Silver Slugger award that year.

--Field Level Media