Cal Raleigh of Seattle Mariners Accomplishes Something Not Seen in 124 Years of History
In this story:
At this point, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Seattle Mariners' catcher Cal Raleigh will make his first American League All-Star team. It also seems likely that he'll be in the upper echelons of the American League MVP conversation, though Aaron Judge is still at the forefront of that.
Entering play on Tuesday, Raleigh is tied for the league-lead in home runs with 23 (Shohei Ohtani), and he's also raised his batting average 40 points from his career norms (.264 vs. 224).
And he's making baseball history at every turn. Check out this note from @OptaSTATS on his performance over the last 20 games.
The @Mariners' Cal Raleigh has 11 home runs, 12 walks and two stolen bases over his last 20 games.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 2, 2025
Since 1901, he is the only primary MLB catcher to reach those marks in any 20-game span. pic.twitter.com/I5y7rlFNaT
He's well on track to break his career-high of 34 homers from a season ago and is also carrying a .379 on-base percentage. We recently discussed on the Refuse to Lose podcast whether or not Raleigh should be the catcher for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in 2026.
In addition to his work at the plate, Raleigh is also leading the pitching staff in excellent fashion. He won the Platinum Glove Award in 2024 for his defensive prowess and continues to aid the rotation despite the injuries that have ravaged it through the first 58 games.
The M's will enter play on Tuesday at 32-26 and in first place in the American League West, leading the Astros by 0.5 games. They'll be back in action at 6:40 p.m. PT as right-hander George Kirby starts against Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano for the Orioles.
Kirby is just 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA since coming off the injured list, and we covered more of his early struggles here. Sugano, signed to a deal this past offseason, is 4-3 with a 3.23 ERA.
The Orioles are 22-36 and in last place in the American League East.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," as he talks about the news of Randy Johnson's No. 51 retirement in 2026. Also, we play Johnson's comments on his displeasure that this hasn't happened already and we go back to the situation around Johnson's departure. Then, Josh Rawitch, the President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, stops by to talk about Ichiro's impending induction to Cooperstown. And oh yeah, Cal Raleigh is on a historic hot streak. CLICK HERE:
BIG ANNIVERSARY: June 2nd is a huge day in M's history, as it was the day that the Mariners selected Ken Griffey Jr. No. 1 overall in 1987. CLICK HERE:
GETTING HIS DUE: Randy Johnson will have his No. 51 retired by the Mariners in 2026, marking the fifth number to be retired by the franchise. CLICK HERE:
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
