Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was already in the midst of a transcendent season, but now it’s historic. With a pair of early home runs in Sunday’s 11-4 win over the Athletics, Raleigh tied, and then broke the major-league record for most home runs hit in a single season by a catcher.
In the first inning, Raleigh clubbed his 48th home run of the season with a two-run blast. And then, one inning later, he hit No. 49 on the season, pushing him ahead of a record set by Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez in 2021. Perez clubbed 48 home runs that season, passing Johnny Bench to set a new record at the position. Perez’s grasp on that record lasted just four seasons before Raleigh broke it on Sunday.
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Raleigh’s first homer of the game gave the Mariners an early 2-0 lead, with Raleigh sending the ball 453 feet to send him and Randy Arozarena home.
Then, in the second inning, he did it again: Raleigh hit another two-run homer deep left center, sending him and Arozarena home to give Seattle a 5-1 lead.
After rounding the bases again, the catcher was greeted with a standing ovation from the fans and his team. Raleigh went into the dugout, before coming back out again to tip his helmet to the crowd.
Raleigh’s pursuit of history felt inevitable after his first half. Raleigh hit 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 participate in, and won, the 2025 Home Run Derby.
He now stands alone on the single-season list, which is littered with some of the best catchers of all-time. Below are the top five single season home run totals from catchers.
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 two home runs Sunday, Raleigh now has hit 40 home runs as a catcher in 2025. He sits just two homers off Lopez’s record.
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.
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 seasons ever 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 win it depending on how he — and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge — close out the year.
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