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Mariners' Cal Raleigh Bobblehead Hilariously Honors His 'Big Dumper' Nickname

Tom Dierberger

Cal Raleigh is beginning his fifth season with the Mariners.
Cal Raleigh is beginning his fifth season with the Mariners. / John Froschauer-Imagn Images
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The Seattle Mariners are celebrating catcher Cal Raleigh's first career Platinum Glove win from the 2024 season by giving out a bobblehead next week during a three-game series against the Houston Astros.

But Raleigh's outstanding defense isn't his only trait the Mariners are honoring. In a post on social media, the Mariners nicknamed the bobblehead "Platinum Dumper," referencing Raleigh's renowned nickname in the dugout, "Big Dumper."

The graphic attached to the post also highlighted the, well, rather large backside that is featured on the bobblehead.

The nickname "Big Dumper" was first crafted by former Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic, who, according to The Athletic, first used those two words to describe the catcher's buttocks during the summer of 2020. One year later, when the Mariners called up Raleigh to make his MLB debut, Kelenic made the nickname official by posting it to social media.

Seattle fans took it from there. The "Big Dumper" nickname now appears on T-shirts, jerseys and more. And now, it is immortalized on a bobblehead.

Raleigh and the Mariners (3–4) return to the field Friday to begin a two-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Through seven games this year, Raleigh is batting .125/.250/.250 with seven strikeouts and four walks in 28 plate appearances.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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