Cal Raleigh breaks Mariners' single-season HR record with 57th, 58th

Cal Raleigh broke a longstanding Mariners record Saturday night at Daikin Park in Houston, then added another milestone the following night as Seattle continued its lateseason surge. The Mariners catcher hit his 57th home run of the season in the third inning Saturday, passing Ken Griffey Jr.'s 56-year-old single-season franchise mark, and he followed with his 58th on Sunday in a game that extended Seattle's lead in the American League West.

Raleigh's record-breaking blast came off Astros left-hander Framber Valdez, a 95.5 mph sinker that landed in the right-center bullpen and gave Seattle a 3-0 lead in the third inning of a 6-4 victory. After the game, Javier Bracamonte, Houston's longtime bullpen catcher, said he retrieved the ball, saved it for Raleigh and presented it to him near the Seattle dugout. Raleigh, who called the achievement "crazy" and "very, very odd and grateful," embraced Bracamonte on the field.

The milestone capped a historic stretch for Raleigh. He has already surpassed Mickey Mantle's major league record for home runs by a switch-hitter, and this season he has set the single-season mark for home runs by a catcher, eclipsing Salvador Perez's 48 in 2021....