Cal Raleigh launched his 40th home run of the season to break a tie in the sixth inning, becoming the first player in MLB to reach that milestone this year and leading the Seattle Mariners to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.
Raleigh crushed a 97-mph fastball from Angels reliever José Fermin (2-2) 416 feet into the right-field seats, marking his second home run in eight games since winning the Home Run Derby. He is now just the seventh catcher in MLB history to hit 40 home runs in a season — a feat accomplished only nine times overall, with Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza doing it twice.
Julio Rodríguez continued his power surge at Angel Stadium, smashing his fourth solo homer in three games and 18th of the season. Randy Arozarena also went deep, notching his 20th homer of the season and extending his streak of 20-homer seasons to five straight years.
Seattle starter George Kirby (5-5) overcame some early trouble to earn his fourth win in five starts. He struck out nine over six innings, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by freezing Luis Rengifo with a nasty slider.
The Angels managed two solo homers — one from Taylor Ward, his 24th of the season, and the other from Zach Neto — but couldn’t generate much else offensively. They’ve now dropped five of their last six games.
Tyler Anderson started for the Angels and struggled with efficiency, surrendering six hits and two runs over 4 2/3 innings. The veteran left-hander, who may be dealt ahead of the trade deadline, owns a 5.66 ERA across his last four outings.
Key Moment:
After Raleigh’s solo blast put Seattle ahead in the sixth, Dominic Canzone followed with a two-run single. Jorge Polanco then came around to score when Rengifo misplayed a grounder at second, extending the Mariners’ lead to 6-2.
Key Stat:
Raleigh joins an elite group of catchers with 40-home run seasons, including legends like Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza.
Injury Note:
Yoán Moncada exited the game in pain after being hit on the hand by a Kirby fastball. X-rays came back negative.
Up Next:
The series wraps up Sunday with Kyle Hendricks (5-7, 4.92 ERA) on the mound for the Angels, while the Mariners turn to Logan Gilbert (3-3, 3.07 ERA).
