Raleigh finds upper deck with record-extending 50th blast

You can't stop Cal Raleigh, you can only hope to contain him.

Major League pitching isn't doing a great job of either after the Seattle Mariners star found the upper deck at T-Mobile Park with a solo blast in the first inning of Monday's contest against the San Diego Padres.

The home run is Raleigh's 50th of the season, extending the record for a primary catcher after he surpassed Kansas City Royals backstop Salvador Perez with his 49th in Sunday's victory over the Athletics.

Raleigh is now one of eight players to hit 50 or more home runs before the start of September. He joins Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998-99), Sammy Sosa (1998-99, 2001), Barry Bonds (2001), Luis Gonzalez (2001), Giancarlo Stanton (2017), and Aaron Judge (2022, 2024), according to Mariners PR.

Raleigh also joins Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs in season.

The 28-year-old first-time All-Star is also one of only two Mariners to accomplish the feat, with Ken Griffey Jr. smacking 56 home runs in both the 1997 and 1998 campaigns.