They were only tied for six innings.
In the first inning on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh slugged his league-leading 28th homer of the season. And in the seventh, he turned on another to left field for his 29th blast, one that left Johnny Bench in second place.
You see, in 1970, the Reds legend Bench hit 28 homers before the All-Star Break. It was the most a catcher had ever hit before that marker in a season in MLB history.
Now, Raleigh has passed Bench for most home runs before the All-Star Game, with multiple weeks to spare.
Cal Raleigh AGAIN!
He has passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zZ8KvUyg1O
— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2025
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Raleigh is on pace to shatter Salvador Perez’s 48-homer record in a season for a primary catcher.
And up to 29 HRs, Raleigh is at least temporarily three homers clear of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.
Raleigh hit a career-high 34 homers in 2024, and he’s been a slugger for a few years now.
But to be at this level, on this pace, is unprecedented.Â
Raleigh, also a standout defensive catcher, is doing things no catcher has ever done.
And for good measure, he stole his ninth base of the season on Friday, too.
What a season it’s been for Raleigh, and it’ll be exciting to see just how far he can go.
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