Cal Raleigh hits home run No. 40, passing Ken Griffey Jr. for most Mariners HRs in first 5 MLB seasons

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cal Raleigh hit his 40th home run of the season on Saturday against Los Angeles Angels and broke a Seattle Mariners franchise record in the process.

Raleigh's sixth-inning blast off José Fermín was his 133rd career home run, moving him past Ken Griffey Jr. for the most by a Mariners player in his first five MLB seasons. He also became the seventh catcher in MLB history to post a 40-homer season, joining Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench, Javy Lopez, Todd Hundley, Todd Hundley, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza.

It's only July 26, and Raleigh has already set a career high in home runs in 2025. He's also on pace to surpass his career high in RBI, set last year when he knocked in 100 runs. He was batting .255 entering Saturday, another career best, and has even stolen 12 bases.

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Griffey and Raleigh are tied together in franchise history as the only Mariners to win the Home Run Derby. 

The man affectionately known as "Big Dumper" previously passed "The Kid" for the most home runs by a Mariner before the All-Star break, with 36, and is threatening Griffey's franchise record of 56 blasts in a single season.

Raleigh's exploits at the plate have given him a two-home run lead over Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtanio for the major-league lead and put him in the MVP conversation with New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, who just hit the IL with a flexor strain. 

Raleigh has helped propel the Mariners to a second-place spot in the AL West, 4.5 behind the division-leading Houston Astros and in the mix for one of the AL wild cards.