Cal Raleigh led MLB with 60 home runs in a historic 2025 campaign.
Eleven games into the 2026 season, the Seattle Mariners slugger has now hit his first.
Raleigh battled Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom through 11 pitches in the first inning Monday night. He then sent deGrom’s 12th offering of the at-bat into the right-field bleachers.
The first-inning blast off a 99 mph full-count fastball gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
Raleigh has struggled mightily on the heels of his historic season. He entered Monday’s game slashing .132/.233/.184 with 4 RBI and, of course, no home runs. He led the AL in both home runs and RBI last season.
The Mariners have gotten off to a slow start alongside Raleigh’s struggles. After winning the AL West and advancing to Game 7 of the ALCS last season, the Mariners entered Monday’s game at 4-6.
Raleigh almost hit his first home run on Saturday, but had it pulled back for an out at the wall. That was part of Angels outfielder Jo Addell’s remarkable defensive night in which he robbed three home runs in a 1-0 Los Angeles win.
There was no robbing Raleigh’s blast off deGrom, which landed deep in the right-field stands. Mariners fans are hoping it’s a sign of things to come and the start of a turnaround from a slow start to the season.
Read the full article here
