Cal Raleigh blasted his 18th homer of the season on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, officially tying a Mariners’ record with four consecutive at-bats with a long ball. Our Big Dumper, who’d been fighting it all year, stepped to the plate in his very first at-bat of the game and absolutely crushed one. This wasn’t just any homer, though. This was the one that etched his name next to a Mariners legend.
The Streak That Shocked the League
That Tuesday night bomb, a 362-foot missile to right field off Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola to lead off the second inning, continued an absolutely insane run. Raleigh’s monstrous shot was his first plate appearance since he went off on Monday night, hitting *three* homers in a dominant 9-2 win against the very same Phillies. Think about that for a second: three dingers Monday, then his first swing Tuesday, and it’s another one out of the park! That incredible four-homer streak ties the Seattle record set by Mike Cameron back on May 2, 2002. It’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder what’s gotten into him.
From Struggle to Legend Status
It’s been a tough year for Raleigh, no doubt about it. After finishing as the runner-up for AL MVP last year with an unbelievable 60 home runs, he’d struggled to find his rhythm this season. He came into this series against Philadelphia batting a shocking .159 with only 14 homers. But he clearly found something. On Monday, he wasn’t just hitting homers, he was seeing the ball beautifully, going 3 for 3 with a walk in between his first and second long balls. After his record-tying homer Tuesday, the streak eventually came to an end. He walked in his very next plate appearance in the fourth inning, then struck out in the sixth, again against Nola. Still, what a run for our switch-hitting catcher! For some context on these power numbers, Edgar Martinez holds the Mariners’ team record for five homers in a two-game span from May 17-18, 1999, and Kenji Johjima was the last Seattle player to hit four home runs over two consecutive games, back in June 2006.
This is the kind of explosive power we know Cal Raleigh has, and seeing him tap into it after battling all season? It’s electric. Keep your eyes glued to his at-bats, Mariners fans, because if he’s figured something out, the rest of the league needs to watch out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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