Mariners' Cal Raleigh ties Hall of Famer's record with slump-busting, game-winning home run
The Seattle Mariners' fans were chanting MVP, but Cal Raleigh hadn't played like one for a little while.
So this one swing was much, much needed, both in the context of the game and the context of Raleigh's season.
Down 2-0, with two men on, Raleigh launched a moonshot to dead center field, gone, home run, the go-ahead homer and the slump-busting swing.
Raleigh, from slump to superhero -- his usual role this season in Seattle.
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The home run was Raleigh's 43rd of the season.
More significantly for present record-setting circumstances, it was Raleigh's 35th of the season while in the lineup as a catcher (and not a DH).
That ties the American League record for most homers by a catcher in a season. He's tied with Ivan Rodriguez, the Hall of Famer, who previously did that in 1999, a year he won AL MVP.
Raleigh has hit below .200 since the start of July. His home run pace had slowed way down, too.
But this could be the swing that changes everything. The Mariners have been hot around him. If he heats up too, look out.
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Raleigh still has the single-season catcher home run record in his sights, at 48 by Salvador Perez.
He's got a great chance of getting to 50 homers and beyond.
And now he's got a special moment to draw on as he tries to rediscover his first-half magic. What a swing by the Big Dumper.
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