Cal Raleigh Passes Another Hall of Famer in Astonishing Baseball History
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NEW YORK -- Another day, another run at history for Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.
With his 46th home run of the season on Friday night, Raleigh moved up another incredible list en route to a possible American League MVP Award.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Most home runs by switch-hitter in a season:
1961 Mickey Mantle: 54
1956 Mickey Mantle: 52
2025 Cal Raleigh: 46
2006 Lance Berkman: 45
1999 Chipper Jones: 45
Most home runs by switch-hitter in a season:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 16, 2025
1961 Mickey Mantle: 54
1956 Mickey Mantle: 52
2025 Cal Raleigh: 46
2006 Lance Berkman: 45
1999 Chipper Jones: 45 https://t.co/VcnAemoRrf
Passing Jones and Berkman is no small feat, as they are two of the best sluggers of the 1990s and 2000s, with Berkman doing most of his damage in the 2000s.
Jones spent 19 years in the big leagues, all with the Atlanta Braves. A career .303 hitter, he hit 468 home runs and drove in 1,623 runs. An eight-time All-Star, he also won a batting title, two Silver Slugger Awards and an MVP. He was also part of the Braves team that won the World Series in 1995, defeating Cleveland. He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
As for Berkman, he spent 12 years in an Astros uniform, becoming one of the most successful hitters in the organization's existence. A lifetime .293 hitter, he popped 326 home runs with the Astros, including five seasons of 30 or more blasts. He also played with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning a World Series in 2011.
With the third-inning home run, Raleigh now also has 100 RBIs, matching his career-high from 2024. He's also the first catcher to have back-to-back 100 RBI seasons since Mike Piazza from 1996-2000.
Cal Raleigh has matched his career high with 100 RBI (also: 2024).
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) August 15, 2025
He is the first catcher since Mike Piazza (1996-2000) with consecutive 100+ RBI seasons as a catcher (min. 50% of G at catcher).
Raleigh will have a chance to add to his season total on Saturday afternoon, as the Mariners play the New York Mets again at 1:10 p.m. PT. The M's won on Friday by a score of 11-9. Raleigh had three hits, including the home run and two doubles.
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