Cal Raleigh has two-homer day, reaches 38th home run this season in Mariners' win over Tigers

Cal Raleigh just can’t stop hitting dingers — and making history.

The Seattle Mariners catcher had another big game on Friday, hit two home runs in the Mariners’ 12-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Raleigh’s two homers marked his 37th and 38th of the season — with the second one being a grand slam in the top of the ninth.

The latest tallies bring Raleigh within one home run of a stunning record: If Raleigh gets another homer this weekend, he will tie Barry Bonds for the most homers (39) before the All-Star break. (Bonds set the record in 2001; however, his association with MLB’s steroids era has put an asterisk on many of his stats.)

Raleigh has been on a tear this year, already tying his previous career high for home runs despite only being halfway through the season.

In addition, Raleigh is one of few high-performing switch hitters in the league, and has hit a number of extra records as a result of that. Last month, the catcher became the first switch hitter to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break.

Saturday’s two-HR game, Raleigh’s eighth multi-home run game this season, has him tie Mickey Mantle for most by a switch hitter in a season. Mantle set the record in 1961, which is impressive. But more importantly, Raleigh still has 68 games this season to unseat Mantle — and possibly keep going.

Raleigh has been well-rewarded as a result of his home run heroics: The catcher will be participating in his first All-Star Game and his first Home Run Derby next week. Now, though, he will have two more games against the Tigers to shoot for Bonds’ record — and beyond.

Long-term, Raleigh will be shooting for MLB’s home run title. He currently leads Aaron Judge, who is in second with 34 home runs, by four homers; Shohei Ohtani is next on the list with 31.

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