HOUSTON -- A single-season franchise record for home runs carries monumental significance. But a case could be made that it holds even more weight in Seattle, where for nearly three decades it’s been held by not only an inner-circle, first-ballot Hall of Famer, but arguably one of the greatest to ever play this game.
And now Ken Griffey Jr. has ceded his perch atop the Mariners’ all-time leaderboard, paving way for the latest -- and arguably the most monumental -- act in Cal Raleigh's historic season.
Raleigh hit his 57th homer in Saturday’s 6-4 win, and if he wasn’t going to achieve the feat at home, everything within the context of how he did it was probably almost as sweet.
The opposing team. The opposing pitcher. The venue. The landing spot. The moment in the game. And the stakes of the season.
Raleigh jumped on an 0-2 sinker from Framber Valdez in the third inning that was slicing away from the plate at the top of the zone, sending it sailing 399 feet to the opposite field and into the home bullpen at Daikin Park -- while silencing another sellout crowd in this colossal series that could very well determine the American League West.
The most audible echoes were the “MVP” chants from the swath of Mariners fans who descended into enemy territory. Because the Mariners hadn’t given their longtime division rivals much to cheer about all weekend, until Houston nearly mounted a major rally.
Then, Victor Robles called game with Seattle’s catch of the season.
By the time Raleigh spoke postgame, after all of Saturday’s dramatics, he said that his homer “feels like forever ago.”
“The win was unbelievable,” Raleigh said. “I didn't even think about the home run. I thought about it rounding the bases, and that was about it. And then got back to the game.”
Raleigh’s historic season had already featured the most home runs by a switch-hitter (passing Mickey Mantle’s 54 in 1961), a primary catcher (Salvador Perez’s 48 in 2021) and anyone as a catcher (42 by Javy Lopez in 2003).
But the franchise milestone is easily the crowning achievement because of who previously held it -- the player who is still as famous in both Seattle and across the sport as he was when he hung up his cleats in 2010.
“It’s a weird, weird thing to think about,” Raleigh said. “I can’t really comprehend it or wrap my head around it really yet. I’m very grateful for it. And it just feels weird to be in that same sentence with him, for sure.”
Griffey, in a text message shared to local media, said that he’s hoping to congratulate Raleigh in person but won’t be able to come to the Mariners’ final homestand of the regular season due to prior commitments. But there’s a good chance he’d be in Seattle if they reach the postseason.
“He's reached out a few times,” Raleigh said. “He's been at T-Mobile [Park] a couple times as well. He's awesome, a super good guy. Always fun to be around in the clubhouse and obviously, I got to spend some time with him at the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. That was a really cool experience, and I'm sure he'll have something to say here afterwards.”
Raleigh’s next quest to join Griffey would be winning the AL West, which the Mariners achieved when Griffey set the franchise record in 1997 then matched it again in ‘98. If Seattle does win the division, there’s also a strong chance that Raleigh could join Griffey (1997) -- and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) -- as the franchise’s only players to win AL MVP.