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Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh smashed his 59th and 60th home runs Wednesday night during the team’s playoff-clinching 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The win sends the Mariners to the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Raleigh connected for his milestone 60th homer in the eighth inning, taking Rockies reliever Angel Chivilli deep. The 28-year-old catcher still has four games remaining in the regular season to challenge Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 home runs set in 2022.
“Big Dumper” has now entered baseball’s most exclusive power club. He joins Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998, ’99), Sammy Sosa (1998, ’99, 2001), Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022) as the only players in MLB history to reach the 60-homer threshold in a single season.
Fan’s Generous Gesture Goes Viral
The historic nature of Raleigh’s 60th homer made the baseball an extremely valuable souvenir. However, the fan who caught it is being celebrated across social media as the “Anti Phillies Karen” for immediately giving the ball to a young fan nearby.
This act stands in stark contrast to a recent viral incident at a Phillies game where a woman demanded a home run ball from a father and his child.
The moment was captured on video and quickly spread across social media platforms:
Fan who caught Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball gave it away to a kid 👏
(via @hachtel24) pic.twitter.com/8zopnUJBXT
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) September 25, 2025
In case you needed proof pic.twitter.com/oKUbalNRAP
— NW NUGS (@NWNugs) September 25, 2025
“It’s crazy. Sixty is — I don’t know what to say. I didn’t know if I was going to hit 60 in my life. Just tonight, what a way to do it,” Raleigh said after the game.
The significance of the moment wasn’t lost on the catcher, who celebrated with his family present. “To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, Mom and Dad, obviously, was really cool. It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this, and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”
Beyond Raleigh’s individual achievement, the victory secured Seattle’s position as the #2 seed in the American League. This gives them a first-round bye in the playoff format.
The Mariners will now await the winner of the Wild Card series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers before beginning their American League Division Series. For a franchise that endured baseball’s longest active playoff drought until tonight, the combination of Raleigh’s historic power display and a return to October baseball made for an unforgettable evening at T-Mobile Park.
