Cal Raleigh ties Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners record for home runs before All-Star break with 35
SEATTLE — On the spot, Cal Raleigh compiled a laundry list of players he would consider for a Mount Rushmore of Seattle Mariners following their 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday.
Ichiro was one of the first names off the board, followed by the likes of stud starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson. When identifying who is the face of the Mariners, though, Raleigh immediately landed on Ken Griffey Jr., who he tied for the franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break with 35 with a pair of blasts.
'To be mentioned with that name, somebody that's just iconic, a legend, first ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,' Raleigh said. 'Trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.'
From Raleigh's perspective, Griffey would have 'smashed' the major league home run record rather than come up 132 short of Barry Bonds if not for injuries. Thankfully for Raleigh's sake, that admiration hasn't been reserved for the public eye.
Whenever Griffey finds himself back in Seattle, which was the case when FIFA Club World Cup games were taking place at Lumen Field, Raleigh has enjoyed his chats with 'The Kid.'
'It's always fun to have him around the clubhouse to just talk to him a little bit and figure out how he went about his business,' Raleigh said. 'So, I've talked to him on the phone once or twice as well. So, he's a good one. He's one of the best of all-time. It's hard to beat talking to somebody like that.'
It's also hard to find many comparable runs to what Raleigh - who will participate in the Home Run Derby - is in the midst of, and what Griffey accomplished ahead of the 1998 All-Star break. Manager Dan Wilson, who was a teammate of Griffey's in 1998, is among the few folks who can truly put Raleigh's fast start to 2025 in perspective.
'It's remarkable. It feels like he hits a home run every game, that's what it feels like,' Wilson said. 'And I can remember feeling it as a player, that (Griffey) just felt like he hit a home run every day. Again, that's the consistency that (Raleigh) has shown. It hasn't been a streak where he has hit a bunch of home runs in a short amount of time. It's been kind of 10 per month.'
To Wilson's point, Raleigh has been remarkably consistent. He walloped nine home runs in April, 12 in May and 11 more in June. Griffey's figures were a tad more mercurial, but just barely (10 in April, eight in May, 14 in June).
All told, the 28-year-old Raleigh has more than lived up to the early stages of his six-year, $105 million contract extension, which he signed just ahead of the 2025 season. Not only has Raleigh set a career high for home runs, but he's on track to post new marks for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Raleigh chalked those developments up to his maturing a little over halfway into his fourth full major league season.
'I have the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark,' Raleigh said. 'I mean, it's part of my game and I'm a strong guy. It's learning how to hone it in and take your hits when maybe you're not getting those pitches in the heart of the plate.'
Such an approach is all well and good, but the results have been starkly different. Raleigh has racked up just 36 singles, or one more than his home run total. Suffice to say, Raleigh's offensive output has justified every dollar the Mariners have sent his way so far, and then some.
'Want to make sure I'm doing everything I can every single day to earn that paycheck and earn what they gave me,' Raleigh said. 'But it's a lot more than just that. It's being a leader, doing things in the clubhouse and making sure you're ready to go every single day.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Electric stuff': Yankees' Aaron Judge on Cincinnati Reds RHP Chase Burns' ‘bright future'
Aaron Judge's first look at Chase Burns lasted four pitches, three of which were sliders − the last one darting away from Judge's barrel as he swung and missed to end a spectacular debut inning for the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect. 'The stuff he's got speaks for itself said the New York Yankees captain and two-time MVP. 'There's a reason why he was drafted second overall and why he flew through the minor leagues.' Advertisement The Yankees didn't put a ball June 24 until Burns had struck out five straight, including three former MVPs in a row, starting with Judge and continuing into the second with Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Aaron Judge between pitches of his first-inning at-bat against Chase Burns. 'Understandable why they're excited about him,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the Reds eventually won a 5-4 game in 11 innings. 'Not only is it a big fastball, but it profiles really well. It was jumping.' It reached 100 mph, sat around 98 most of his five-inning debut and set up a hard slider and 90 mph changeup. When Burns, 22, struck out the first five batters he faced in a debut, he became the first MLB pitcher to do that in the post-1960 expansion era. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) makes his MLB debut in the first inning of the MLB interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. And even after Jazz Chisholm ended the run with a single, Burns followed that with a three-pitch strikeout of Anthony Volpe. Advertisement 'First time through the lineup, he was rolling. It was impressive,' said Judge, who entered the game leading the majors in batting at .367 and was second in home runs (28). 'He's got an electric arm. Electric fastball,' Judge said. 'And he has a good feel for all his breaking pitches, which is kind of the thing that comes as you work your way through the minor leagues − but he didn't need to do that.' Burns made only 13 minor-league starts in the 11 months and 10 days between being drafted second overall out of Wake Forest and starting for the Reds against the Yankees on Tuesday. He went 7-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 66 innings. Advertisement It was more of the same in his debut with eight strikeouts and no walks. Against the Yankees. In one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball. 'I'm excited for him,' said Judge, who fought off a fastball for a single up the middle in three at-bats against Burns, eventually scoring during the Yankees' three-run fourth as the adrenaline-filled start and the big Yankee bats caught up with him. 'Cincinnati's got some good young arms, especially you pair him with a Hunter Greene, man —that's something special right there,' Judge said. Yankees leadoff man Trent Grisham struck out all three times he faced Burns and was in little mood to expound on the young man's skills from the losing clubhouse afterward. Advertisement 'Straight heater,' he said. 'Hard slider. Hard changeup.' Burns remind Grisham of any veterans in the game? 'Nothing that comes to top of mind,' he said. Impressive the way he started his outing? 'He has a good fastball.' Judge seemed especially impressed at how Burns controlled the heightened emotions for all that success early in the game. 'You could tell he was hyped up a little bit, but he was under control, and he was attacking the zone, which is the important thing,' Judge said. 'It just speaks volumes to the type of presence he has, just to go out there and, 'Hey, it's just another day.' ' Judge said the Yankee hitters kept talking as each had the chance to face Burns until finally allowing them to 'get a better game plan' and break through for the lead in the fourth. Advertisement 'He's got a bright future,' Judge said. 'He's got electric stuff. I wish we would have come away with a win there, but it was fun facing him.' This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What Aaron Judge, Yankees thought of Chase Burns' debut for Reds
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Not worth the wait: Cincinnati Reds blow lead, lose suspended game to Red Sox
BOSTON – The Cincinnati Reds' recent run of late-inning magic ran out in the middle game of a three-game series against the Red Sox – even after an extra day to locate the pixie dust. In the resumption of the Tuesday, July 1, suspended game at Fenway Park, the Reds quickly took a lead 15 hours after the game was suspended but blew the slim margin in the sixth and then lost on a pair of eighth-inning Red Sox runs against Lyon Richardson in a 5-3 loss. Advertisement RBI hits by Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story put the Red Sox in position to play for a sweep in Wednesday night's regularly scheduled game. Adding potential injury to insult, Spencer Steer, last week's NL Player of the Week, whose home run gave the Reds the lead, was hit on the hand by a pitch in the seventh and looked like a day-to-day game decision going forward. 'He's pretty puffy and already turning colors,' manager Terry Francona said shortly after the game. Steer was back in the original lineup Wednesday night but scratched just before game time. It was not immediately clear how severe the issue might be. The Reds called the injury a bruise. Advertisement The team has a scheduled day off before opening a weekend series in Philadelphia. Embedded content: Jarren Duran slides past Reds second baseman Matt McLain with a double in the first inning Tuesday night. The Reds, who have lost three of their last four games, have not been swept all season. The suspended game was the Reds' second of the season. They beat the Diamondbacks at home in the other one four weeks ago. Former Reds All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for the Red Sox for his 15th save of the season. It was the 350th of his career. The teams waited out a delay of more than an hour Tuesday night before resuming in the top of the fourth Wednesday afternoon. Advertisement The Red Sox elected to use starter Brayan Bello for the restart in place of Tuesday's starter Richard Fitts. The Reds went with a bullpen day for the rest of the resumed game, starting with left-hander Sam Moll in place of Brady Singer. It took all of three batters into the resumption of play for the Reds to take the lead, on a one-out walk by Gavin Lux followed by Steer's 10th home run of the season, a high fly just over the Green Monster in left. That made it 3-2, which is where it stayed through Moll's two perfect innings of work (including four strikeouts). 'With Steer's swing, it gave us a chance,' manager Terry Francona said, 'and with Moll going two, and really crisp, it got us a little excited.' Advertisement Abraham Toro's leadoff double against Moll's replacement, Scott Barlow, came within a fraction of an inch of being an out when shortstop Elly De La Cruz just missed making an over-the-shoulder catch as the ball caromed off his glove. That led to the tying run when Toro advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly. (This story was updated to add a photo gallery.) This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds blow lead, lose suspended game to Red Sox at Fenway
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
10 things you didn't know about the Big Red Machine
By now everybody knows that Dan Driessen was the first designated hitter in World Series history (1976), that Will McEnaney recorded the final out of both the 1975 and 1976 World Series and that the Big Red Machine remains the last National League team to repeat as MLB champs. But in the aftermath of a four-day, 50th-anniversary reunion celebration of the Big Red Machine, here are 10 things you probably didn't know about one of the most storied dynasties in baseball history: Advertisement 1. Cesar Geronimo's right arm of God – and the Yankees Center fielder Cesar Geronimo studied in a seminary in the Dominican Republic to become a priest before he found the path that led him to professional baseball. When he eventually participated in a tryout camp for the Yankees at the urging of his father, the Yankees liked his powerful arm so much they signed him as a pitcher and outfielder. 'After I came out of the seminary when I was 18 years old, I started playing softball,' said Geronimo, who played mostly basketball during his four years studying religion, only playing baseball once or twice a month in that span. 'I never pitched. But the scout that got me knew I had a good arm.' 2. Ken Griffey's baby bonus Outfielder Ken Griffey, a three-time All-Star and career .296 hitter with 200 stolen bases, was the last player drafted by the Reds in 1969, in the 29th round. Advertisement His bonus? 'Jock strap and a pair of sanitary socks. That was it,' Griffey said. 'That was my bonus. And I never wore a jock.' 3. 20 teams passed on Johnny Bench in draft – including Reds Johnny Bench was the valedictorian at Binger High School in small-town Oklahoma, where he also starred on the basketball team in addition to baseball. Bernie Carbo, shown during the 1972 season, was selected in the draft before Johnny Bench. All 20 major league teams at the time passed on Bench, the high school catcher from Binger, Oklahoma. He was then drafted in MLB's first draft in 1965 — but was not the Reds first pick. That was Bernie Carbo (16th overall). Which means all 20 big-league teams at the time passed on Bench, including the Reds, before they made him their second-round pick. 4. Don Gullett was not a very good placekicker Don Gullett, a three-sport high school star who debuted for the Reds less than a year after being drafted 14th overall out of McKell High School in northeastern Kentucky, once struck out 20 of 21 he faced in a perfect game for McKell and another time scored 72 points in a football game. Advertisement The 11 rushing touchdowns and six extra-point kicks came after his coach unleashed him on a smack-talking rival had boasted about shutting him down. 'Of course, we razzed him about missing the other five kicks,' Bench said. 5. George Foster's head games George Foster was one of the first players to employ a sports psychologist early in his career to get past a fear resulting from twice getting hit in the head by pitches. 'I got the idea from Maury Wills because he had created some fear in sliding because he was constantly getting hurt,' Foster said. 'But it was more of being able to talk through it. It helps with your focus. I encourage kids today to use a sports psychologist, because sometimes if they're not playing well they get too much into their own head instead of focusing on their mechanics.' Advertisement It worked for Foster, who went on to earn five All-Star selections and the 1977 NL MVP award. 'They help you focus on the cause and not the result,' he said. 'Once you change the cause your results change.' Tony Perez said he never experimented with the types of bats he used. "Never changed my bat. I used it in the big-leagues, and I used it in the minor leagues. One bat,' he said. 6. Tony Perez had one very big thing in common with Babe Ruth Don't try to get Tony Perez to weigh in on the so-called torpedo bat — or any other flavor-of-the month style of bat that might be trending in the moment. 'Stupid,' he said. 'I used only one bat. Never changed my bat. I used it in the big-leagues, and I used it in the minor leagues. One bat.' That was Model R43, he said. 'That's the one Babe Ruth used to use,' Perez said. Advertisement In other words, a lathe-turned tree trunk. 7. Hey, Johnny Bench, how 'bout another lemonade over here! The Reds were such big stars on the field that popular TV shows took advantage. Bench, in particular, made several appearances on Hee Haw during his career in addition to his well-known gig hosting the Saturday morning kids show The Baseball Bunch with the famed San Diego Chicken. But did you know he also made a cameo as a waiter on a 1973 episode of The Partridge Family? Even the manager, Sparky Anderson, co-starred in a 1979 episode of WKRP in Cincinnati written around Anderson's terrible job at hosting a radio show, playing himself as the recently fired Reds manager. Advertisement When he eventually loses the radio job, too, he says, 'I must be nuts. Every time I come into this town, I get fired.' 8. Nepo baby Pete Rose? Five years before MLB's first draft, Pete Rose was signed out of Western Hills High School by his hometown Reds – but not as the result of any high-demand bidding war or extra effort by the local club. Mostly, it was a favor to local Reds bird-dog scout Buddy Bloebaum, who strongly urged the Reds to sign his nephew Pete. 9. The three-generation MLB Griffey family that might have been Speaking of important guys named Buddy, Griffey's father, Buddy Griffey, was a high school sports teammate of Stan Musial at Donora High School in western Pennsylvania. Advertisement The Hall of Famer more than once said the elder Griffey was good enough to play major-league baseball, and was even reputed to have said Buddy Griffey was better than himself. 'They said they were actually scouting him,' Ken Griffey said. 'But what happened was, the last name was Welsh-related, so they thought he was white.' Not much MLB future in the 1930s for a Black player, no matter how talented. 'He ended up going to Kentucky State on a football scholarship,' Griffey said. Imagine the comparisons Buddy, Ken and Ken Jr. might have been able to make to the three-generation likes of the Boones and Bells. Advertisement 10. Joe Morgan owned these guys Joe Morgan, the man Bill James determined was the greatest second baseman in history, owned trademark rights to the 'Big Red Machine' for specific merchandising after his playing days, securing the rights in 1997. The rights through J.L. Morgan Enterprises Inc., covered, among other things, board games, card games and athletic bags, backpacks and book bags. The rights have since lapsed. Morgan, who was the league MVP during both the BRM's World Series championship seasons, died in 2020. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 10 things you didn't know about the Big Red Machine
