Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh Making History on Par with Hall of Famers, and Barry Bonds

Another day, another historic achievement for the Mariners' backstop.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a three-run home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium on June 7. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners lost 8-6 to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night, but that didn't stop catcher Cal Raleigh from making even more baseball history.

The "Big Dumper" went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs, upping his major-league lead to 26 dingers through just 63 games.

Per @OptaSTATS on social media:

Earliest date reaching 25 HR, MLB history:

May 24 - Barry Bonds, 2001
May 25 - Mark McGwire, 1998
May 29 - Albert Pujols, 2006
June 2 - Ken Griffey Jr., 1997
June 6 - Barry Bonds, 2000
June 7 - Cal Raleigh, 2025

Earliest date reaching 25 HR, MLB history:

May 24 - Barry Bonds, 2001
May 25 - Mark McGwire, 1998
May 29 - Albert Pujols, 2006
June 2 - Ken Griffey Jr., 1997
June 6 - Barry Bonds, 2000
June 7 - Cal Raleigh, 2025 pic.twitter.com/SA7QOQF1sC

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 8, 2025

And from Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Most homers by primary catcher before All-Star break:

1970 Johnny Bench: 28 (87 games played)
2025 Cal Raleigh: 26 (63)
2000 Ivan Rodriguez: 26 (80)

Most homers by primary catcher before All-Star break:

1970 Johnny Bench: 28 (87 games played)
2025 Cal Raleigh: 26 (63)
2000 Ivan Rodriguez: 26 (80) https://t.co/rdl5XECqJy

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 8, 2025

It's been an incredible season for Raleigh, who has morphed into the best catcher in the league. In addition to his power numbers, he's also hitting .272. He's on track to make (and likely start) his first All-Star Game and he could very well be the selection for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next year.

Despite his greatness, the Mariners have struggled immensely over the last month and change. They've lost 12 of their last 17 games and have fallen to 3.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West.

They'll be back in action on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Angels again at 1:07 p.m. PT. George Kirby, who has gone 0-3 since returning from the injured list, will pitch against Tyler Anderson, who is a former Mariner.

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

NEW PODCAST IS OUT Part 1: After a poor series sweep against the Baltimore Orioles, we just couldn't wait. Brady had to go live on Thursday to talk about the M's change in offensive approach and the little things that have added up over the last week. He lets off some steam heading into the weekend. CLICK HERE:

NEW PODCAST IS OUT Part 2: Brady is back on Friday for a regularly scheduled episode in which he talks with former Mariners catcher Scott Bradley about the 35th anniversary of catching Randy Johnson's no-hitter in 1990, being part of the early M's teams, his memories of Ken Griffey Jr. and much more. CLICK HERE:

WORKING BACK: Luke Raley, out with an oblique issue, is working back and looks ready to start a rehab assignment. 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.