Mariners' Cal Raleigh joins Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr. in exclusive club

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is having an MVP-caliber season. He just joined a pair of Hall of Famers in an exclusive home run club.

Cal Raleigh hit his 35th home run on Independence Day. He set a new career high, but also joined Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to hit at least 35 home runs for their team through the first 90 games, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Ruth achieved the feat three times, doing so in 1921, 1928 and 1930. Griffey achieved the feat twice, doing so in 1994 and 1998. Both times Griffey did it, he was in a Mariners uniform. He ended up leading the American League in home runs both years.

Ruth led all of baseball in home runs all three times he did it. Raleigh is still seemingly behind Aaron Judge in the AL MVP race. However, he is on pace to have a historic season from the catcher position.

Only eight times has a catcher hit 40 home runs. Raleigh is on pace to crush that mark. The record for home runs by a catcher in a single season was set by Salvador Perez in 2021 with 48. Raleigh seems like a lock to pass that mark.

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Raleigh actually has a chance to break Judge's AL home run record. Judge set the record with 62 home runs in 2022. That season, he had 31 home runs through the team's first 90 games.