Cal Raleigh ties Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners record for home runs before All-Star break with 35

SEATTLE — On the spot, Cal Raleigh compiled a laundry list of players he would consider for a Mount Rushmore of Seattle Mariners following their 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday.

Ichiro was one of the first names off the board, followed by the likes of stud starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson. When identifying who is the face of the Mariners, though, Raleigh immediately landed on Ken Griffey Jr., who he tied for the franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break with 35 with a pair of blasts.

''To be mentioned with that name, somebody that's just iconic, a legend, first ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,'' Raleigh said. ''Trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.''

From Raleigh's perspective, Griffey would have ''smashed'' the major league home run record rather than come up 132 short of Barry Bonds if not for injuries. Thankfully for Raleigh's sake, that admiration hasn't been reserved for the public eye.

Whenever Griffey finds himself back in Seattle, which was the case when FIFA Club World Cup games were taking place at Lumen Field, Raleigh has enjoyed his chats with ''The Kid.''

''It's always fun to have him around the clubhouse to just talk to him a little bit and figure out how he went about his business,'' Raleigh said. ''So, I've talked to him on the phone once or twice as well. So, he's a good one. He's one of the best of all-time. It's hard to beat talking to somebody like that.''

It's also hard to find many comparable runs to what Raleigh — who will participate in the Home Run Derby — is in the midst of, and what Griffey accomplished ahead of the 1998 All-Star break. Manager Dan Wilson, who was a teammate of Griffey's in 1998, is among the few folks who can truly put Raleigh's fast start to 2025 in perspective.

''It's remarkable. It feels like he hits a home run every game, that's what it feels like,'' Wilson said. ''And I can remember feeling it as a player, that (Griffey) just felt like he hit a home run every day. Again, that's the consistency that (Raleigh) has shown. It hasn't been a streak where he has hit a bunch of home runs in a short amount of time. It's been kind of 10 per month.''

To Wilson's point, Raleigh has been remarkably consistent. He walloped nine home runs in April, 12 in May and 11 more in June. Griffey's figures were a tad more mercurial, but just barely (10 in April, eight in May, 14 in June).

All told, the 28-year-old Raleigh has more than lived up to the early stages of his six-year, $105 million contract extension, which he signed just ahead of the 2025 season. Not only has Raleigh set a career high for home runs, but he's on track to post new marks for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Raleigh chalked those developments up to his maturing a little over halfway into his fourth full major league season.

''I have the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark,'' Raleigh said. ''I mean, it's part of my game and I'm a strong guy. It's learning how to hone it in and take your hits when maybe you're not getting those pitches in the heart of the plate.''

Such an approach is all well and good, but the results have been starkly different. Raleigh has racked up just 36 singles, or one more than his home run total. Suffice to say, Raleigh's offensive output has justified every dollar the Mariners have sent his way so far, and then some.

''Want to make sure I'm doing everything I can every single day to earn that paycheck and earn what they gave me,'' Raleigh said. ''But it's a lot more than just that. It's being a leader, doing things in the clubhouse and making sure you're ready to go every single day.''

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb