Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run in the third inning of the Mariners’ game against the Astros in Houston Saturday evening, passing Ken Griffey Jr. for the Mariners’ record for home runs in a season with his 57th.
Griffey hit 56 homers for Seattle in both 1997 and 1998.
With one out in the top of the third, Raleigh launched a no-doubter into right-center field to give the M’s a 3-0 lead and officially pass Griffey on the single-season home run list.
Earlier in the week, Raleigh had knocked in two home runs against the Royals in Kansas City, allowing him to surpass Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for long balls by a switch hitter (set in 1961) and equal the franchise record held by Griffey.
A first-time All-Star this year, Raleigh leads the major leagues in home runs and paces the American League with 118 RBIs. Earlier this year, he also set the single-season record for home runs by a full-time catcher, previously held by Salvador Perez of the Royals (48 in 2021).
The first-place Mariners (85-69) led the Houston Astros (84-70) by a game in the American League West entering Saturday’s game.
