Cal Raleigh officially stands alone among catchers in MLB history.
The Seattle Mariners superstar clubbed his 49th home run of the season on Sunday. As such, he now holds the record for most home runs by a catcher in a single season in MLB history, overtaking a record previously held by Royals star Salvador Perez. No player who has been behind the plate for at least 75% of their games has hit more home runs in one campaign.
Raleigh entered play Sunday with 47 home runs. By the time the second inning ended, he'd already smacked two pitches into the seats and made MLB history. Now, he'll look to become the first catcher to ever hit 50 home runs in a season, too.
Cal Raleigh’s 49 homers are the most by a catcher in a single season in MLB history! pic.twitter.com/X9jxJzptiP
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 24, 2025
Raleigh's record-setting home run sent T-Mobile Park into a tizzy, as fans rose to their feet to celebrate their catcher's historic accomplishment. The broadcast was fired up, too, delivering a hearty call of the moment.
Raleigh hadn't hit a home run in any of his previous five games, but he delivered twice in two innings on Sunday to secure the record. An awesome moment for an incredibly deserving player.
Most Home Runs by Catcher in Single Season
Now that Raleigh stands alone with 49 home runs in a season, we'll take a look at some of the players he's passed. Perez's 48-home run season in 2021 stood as the record until Sunday. Prior to that, Johnny Bench held the record for most homers by a catcher in a season with 45, which he achieved in 1970. Javy Lopez hit 43 home runs in 2003, and the only other catchers with 40 or more homers in a season are Todd Hundley, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cal Raleigh Sets MLB History With Record-Breaking 49th Home Run .
