The Mariners catcher could break the Yankee slugger’s AL Home Run Record and pass Judge for the American League MVP Award, with a few more big swings
By Ryan K Boman | On SI at Sports Illustrated | Sept 24, 2025
In many ways, baseball in 2025 has been the Year of Cal Raleigh. And for the catcher himself, it’s been a season of sensational stats. On Wednesday night, as the Mariners clinched the AL West, he hit two homers to become just the seventh player in Major League Baseball history to accumulate 60 in a season. That puts him alongside all-time greats Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and one of his contemporaries, Aaron Judge.
How fitting is it, then, that Judge and Raleigh are considered the top two candidates for the American League Most Valuable Player Award as the 2025 season starts winding down. With five games left to play, Raleigh needs just three more home runs to break Judge’s AL record of 62, set in 2022.
It’s also a tale of two completely opposite players. Judge has been one of the best players in baseball since he was originally called up by the Yankees. He is a seven-time All-Star, a three-time (and reigning) league MVP, and a bona fide household name. He’s the face of a franchise that is the most successful in history, with 27 world championship banners to prove it. Meanwhile, the Mariners are … Read More HERE
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