Cal Raleigh's mother sends touching message to Seattle fans after Mariners slugger crushes Reds with 2 home runs
Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is coming off a monster 2024 season. He played in 153 games, hitting .220/.312/.436 with a career-high 34 home runs and 100 runs batted in.
While he started off the 2025 season a bit slow, he has now found his groove. He blasted two home runs on Wednesday to help his club beat the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 5-3.
Since Raleigh's big-time season in 2023, he has become a fan favorite in Seattle. His mom, Stephanie, thanked the fans for taking in her son and showing him a tremendous amount of love.
Nicknamed the "Big Dumper," Seattle fans have expressed their love for Raleigh. He has been a source of power that the club has needed, and came into the season as the second-best catcher, according to Fox Sports.
With his two home runs on Wednesday, Raleigh became the second-fastest player to reach 100 career homers in franchise history. The person in front of him? None other than Alex Rodriguez.
What made the multihomer night even more impressive was how he got it done. He hit a home run from the left side of the plate and then later homered on the right side.
The Mariners wasted no time getting an extension done with Cal Raleigh
Cal Raleigh started to make a name for himself as a high school baseball player in North Carolina. After committing to Clemson University, he decided to go and play for Florida State University.
He was great as a freshman, being named a freshman All-American. The following year, he would help his club reach the NCAA College World Series, where he would hit a homer during that game.
2018 would be his final year at Clemson. After that, the Mariners selected him with the 90th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Raleigh made his way through the minors, and on July 11, 2021, he made his MLB debut against the Los Angeles Angels. He would struggle a bit during his first two years, but he established himself as a fearsome hitter soon after.
This March, he and Seattle settled on an extension. The two sides agreed on a six-year, $105 million contract with a seventh-year vesting option. They wasted no time locking down the guy they believe will be their club's main backstop for years to come.