Raleigh is 7th MLB player to hit 60 home runs in a season

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh became the seventh player in major league history to hit 60 home runs in a season late Wednesday, launching two solo shots for the Seattle Mariners against the Colorado Rockies."It's crazy. Sixty is — I don't know what to say," said Raleigh, who leads the majors in homers. "I didn't know if I was going to hit 60 in my life. Just tonight, what a way to do it."Batting left-handed in the first inning, the switch-hitting catcher connected off Tanner Gordon and sent a drive to right field that reached the top deck at T-Mobile Park for his 59th longball of the year."It was like a movie," teammate Julio Rodríguez said of Raleigh's moonshot. "I'm just so grateful that he's on our team, that he's able to do what he does. He's so special, and I can't say enough."Then in the eighth, batting left-handed again, Raleigh hit No. 60 off Angel Chivilli. Raleigh also had a two-run double in the second and finished with four RBI to give him 125 this season, most in the American League.With a 9-2 victory, Seattle clinched its fourth AL West title and first since 2001.The only other players to reach 60 home runs in a season are Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998 and '99), Sammy Sosa (1998, '99, 2001), Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022).It was the 11th multi-homer game for Raleigh this year, tied with Judge (2022), Hank Greenberg (1938) and Sosa (1998) for the MLB record.With four games remaining in the regular season, Raleigh has a chance to pass Judge for the American League record. Judge hit 62 homers in 2022 to break the previous AL mark of 61 set by Maris in 1961.Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle's previous MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. And the Seattle slugger has set a new standard for homers by a catcher, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021."When you look at how he has done it and the position that he plays — I was telling somebody earlier today that when you come off the field, you're mentally and physically exhausted," said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former major league catcher."And for him to do what he's done offensively and to do what he does behind the plate, I honestly don't think we've seen this before. It's been incredible. I think he deserves the MVP, no question."