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Cal Raleigh breaks Ken Griffey Jr.’s single season HR record
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- Cal Raleigh breaks Ken Griffey Jr.’s single season HR record
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The post Cal Raleigh breaks Ken Griffey Jr.'s single season HR record appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Cal Raleigh reached yet another remarkable milestone on Saturday as the Seattle Mariners faced the Houston Astros in a pivotal three-game series. Earlier this week, Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle's single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter. But Big Dumper wasn't finished. One inning later, Raleigh launched his major-league leading 56th homer of the season, tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s franchise record.
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On Saturday, Raleigh's dream season continued. Facing Astros' ace Framber Valdez in the top of the third inning, Raleigh belted a 95 mph sinker 399 feet to right center. It was his 57th home run of the season. And Raleigh now stands alone with the most homers in Mariners history.
Griffey actually reached 56 dingers twice with the Mariners, accomplishing the feat in back-to-back seasons. The Hall of Famer set the former franchise record in 1997 and then tied his own mark in 1998.
Now Raleigh holds the Mariners' home run record. It's the latest accomplishment in an MVP-caliber season for the fifth-year pro.
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Cal Raleigh stands alone in Mariners history
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In August, Raleigh broke Salvador Perez's record for the most home runs by a primary catcher in a season with his 49th bomb. Earlier this year, Big Dumper annihilated Johnny Bench's record for homers by a catcher before the All-Star break. Bench's mark of 28 dingers in 87 games played stood for 55 years. But Raleigh easily surpassed the Hall of Famer with 32 blasts in just 76 games .
Raleigh's 2025 campaign will unquestionably go down as one of the greatest of all time for any player regardless of position. But the Gold Glove backstop is focused on helping the Mariners win the division.
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Seattle entered play on Saturday with a one-game lead over the Astros in the AL West. The Mariners have been red-hot, winning 12 of their last 13 games. After taking the series opener from Houston, Seattle jumped out to a 5-0 lead after five innings on Saturday.
A sweep would give the Mariners a commanding three-game division lead with six games remaining on the schedule. Seattle will send Logan Gilbert to the mound for the series finale against the Astros on Sunday.
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