Cal Raleigh hits 50th home run of the season, becoming first player to reach milestone in 2025
- - Cal Raleigh hits 50th home run of the season, becoming first player to reach milestone in 2025
Chris CwikAugust 26, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is already in the midst of a historic 2025 season. On Monday, he decided to add yet another milestone to his already impressive list of accomplishments this year.
With a first-inning shot against the San Diego Padres Monday night, Raleigh became the first major leaguer this season to club 50 home runs.
IT’S A 50-HOMER SEASON FOR CAL RALEIGH! 😤 pic.twitter.com/YtxwLVI66U
— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2025
Raleigh reaching the milestone before any other player this season shouldn't come as a major surprise. The 28-year-old has been on a torrid power pace all season. He had some stiff competition from New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge earlier in the year, but an elbow injury sidelined Judge for a few days near the end of July, allowing Raleigh to widen his home-run lead.
At 40 home runs, Judge still remains on the periphery of the home-run race. The same can be said of Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who also has 40 home runs. Entering play Monday, Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani share second place, with each players sitting on 45 home runs.
While any of those players can go on a power binge and challenge Raleigh, his chances of leading the league in home runs feels high. Though Raleigh has hit just .216 in 34 games following the All-Star break, he's maintained a strong .485 slugging percentage over that period thanks to 11 home runs.
With roughly a month left in the regular season, Barry Bonds' single-season record of 73 home runs appears safe for now. Following Monday's home run, Raleigh sits 23 away from tying Bonds' record. Though Raleigh has put up some exceptional power numbers in 2025, the most home runs he's managed in a single month is 12.
The single-season record may be out of reach, but Raleigh still has plenty of time to secure some other accolades. The American League MVP race is expected to come down to Raleigh and Judge. While Judge has been the better overall hitter, Raleigh's power production and phenomenal defense could result in him winning the award. The two are essentially in a dead heat for the award according to FanGraphs' version of WAR, so the last month of the year could decide the award.
Thanks to Raleigh's excellence, the Mariners are battling it out for a wild-card spot in the AL. While crossing milestones and winning individual awards is nice, securing a postseason spot and leading the M's to their first-ever championship would be the perfect way for Raleigh to cap a legendary season.
Source: “AOL Sports”
