Cal Raleigh hits 60th homer as Mariners clinch AL West in Seattle

Cal Raleigh became conscionable the seventh subordinate successful large league past to deed 60 location runs successful a season, powering the Seattle Mariners to a 9-2 triumph implicit the Colorado Rockies connected Wednesday. His 2 solo shots not lone secured the milestone but besides helped the Mariners clinch their archetypal American League West crown since 2001.

“It’s crazy. Sixty is—I don’t cognize what to say,” Raleigh admitted aft the game. “I didn’t cognize if I was going to deed 60 successful my life. Just tonight, what a mode to bash it.”

His archetypal homer, a towering thrust to the precocious platform successful the archetypal inning, near teammate Julio Rodríguez successful awe. “It was similar a movie,” Rodríguez said. “I’m conscionable truthful grateful that he’s connected our team, that he’s capable to bash what helium does. He’s truthful special.” Raleigh’s 2nd blast came successful the eighth, putting him 4 up of Kyle Schwarber and six wide of Shohei Ohtani successful this year’s location tally race.

Records falling arsenic Seattle celebrates

Raleigh present shares the signifier with legends specified arsenic Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Aaron Judge—the lone others to scope 60 successful a season. His 11th multi-homer crippled tied an MLB single-season record, portion helium besides surpassed Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise people of 56. In addition, helium broke Mickey Mantle’s grounds for astir location runs by a switch-hitter (54) and Salvador Perez’s grounds for catchers (48).

Mariners manager Dan Wilson, himself a erstwhile catcher, emphasized the magnitude of Raleigh’s season: “When you travel disconnected the field, you’re mentally and physically exhausted. For him to bash what he’s done offensively and down the plate, I honestly don’t deliberation we’ve seen this before. I deliberation helium deserves the MVP, nary question.”

Raleigh drove successful 4 runs connected the night, giving him 125 RBIs, astir successful the AL. The Mariners, inactive chasing their archetypal World Series appearance, present person momentum heading into October. Raleigh said the infinitesimal felt bigger than himself: “To bash it successful this fashion, connected this night, successful beforehand of these fans, Mom and Dad, obviously, was truly cool. It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done thing similar this, and it’s special. It’s peculiar to this group, to this organization, to the city.”