Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was already in the midst of a transcendent season, but now it’s historic. With his two-run, first-inning homer against the Athletics, Raleigh tied the major-league record for most home runs hit in a single season by a catcher.
With the blast, Raleigh clubbed his 48th home run of the season. That total has only been matched by one other catcher, Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez, who accomplished the feat in 2021.
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The early homer gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead to start the game, with Raleigh sending the ball 453 feet to send him and Randy Arozarena home.
Raleigh’s pursuit of history felt inevitable after his first half. Raleigh clubbed an astonishing 38 home runs prior to the All-Star break, topping his previous career-high. Over his career, the switch-hitting Raleigh has displayed elite power at the plate, but he’s taken that excellence to another level this season.
His performance resulted in Raleigh making his first-ever All-Star Game, where he went on to participated in, and won, the 2025 Home Run Derby.
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With his home run Sunday, Raleigh is almost certain to break Perez’s single-season record. Only an injury or an extreme slump can sink him at this point in the season.
Once he does that, he’ll stand alone on the single-season list, which is littered with some of the best catchers of all-time. Below are the top-5 catchers with the most home runs in a single season.
1-tie. Cal Raleigh, 2025 Seattle Mariners: 48
1-tie. Salvador Perez, 2021 Kansas City Royals: 48
3. Johnny Bench, 1970 Cincinnati Reds: 45
4. Javy Lopez, 2003 Atlanta Braves: 43
5-tie. Todd Hundley, 1996 New York Mets: 41
5-tie. Roy Campanella, 1953 Los Angeles Dodgers: 41
Of that group, Lopez actually hit the most home runs while playing catcher. He hit 42 of his 43 home runs in 2003 while starting behind the plate. Raleigh could break that record as well: With his record-tying home run Sunday, Raleigh now has hit 39 home runs as a catcher in 2025. He sits just three homers off Lopez’s record.
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Both Raleigh and Perez were aided by their ability to serve as their team’s designated hitters on days when they aren’t behind the plate. That allowed both players to rack up a high number of plate appearances at a position that typically receives plenty of days off. But since Raleigh and Perez are true offensive difference-makers, their teams work to ensure their bats are in the lineup each day. It’s a credit to both Perez and Raleigh that they’ve been able to hold up and perform well under such an extreme workload.
While Perez’s record-setting 2021 season was impressive, Raleigh’s 2025 has a chance to be much, much better. Perez finished the 2021 season with a 2.7 fWAR, mostly driven by his offensive production. The advanced metrics have never been a fan of Perez’s defense, which pushed his total WAR down.
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That’s not the case with Raleigh. Widely considered one of the best defenders in baseball, Raleigh already reached 7 fWAR in mid-August. If he can continue to finish strong, Raleigh could wind up turning in one of the best-ever seasons by a catcher.
That could earn him some hardware at the end of the season. During his excellent 2021, Perez managed a seventh-place finish in the MVP voting. Raleigh appears destined to finish no lower than second in the American League voting in 2025, with a strong chance to finish in first depending on how he — and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge — close out the year.
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