Cal Raleigh became the first player whose primary position is catcher to hit 50 home runs in a major league season as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting San Diego Padres 9-6 Monday night.
Raleigh went deep into the second deck in left field in the first inning off San Diego starter JP Sears for his third homer in the past two games. He became the second player in franchise history to reach the 50-homer milestone, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (56 homers in both 1997 and 1998).
Raleigh, who went 1-for-4 as Seattle’s designated hitter on the night, joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch hitters to produce a 50-homer season. The New York Yankees great belted 52 homers in 1956 and 54 in 1961.
Jorge Polanco went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs for the Mariners, who rallied from an early three-run deficit and won for the third time in four games.
Seattle improved to 4-0 against the Padres this season to clinch the inaugural Vedder Cup, named for Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder who has ties to both cities. The clubs conclude their season series with games the next two days.
Gavin Sheets, Jake Cronenworth, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ramon Laureano homered for San Diego, which took its second loss in a row after a five-game winning streak.
Mariners starter Bryce Miller (3-5) got the victory despite allowing four runs on six hits over five innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out four.
Padres reliever David Morgan (1-2) gave up five runs in the fifth inning as Seattle snapped a 4-4 tie.
With one out in the fifth, Raleigh was hit by a pitch and Julio Rodriguez grounded into a forceout. Eugenio Suarez walked and Josh Naylor hit a run-scoring single to left.
After a walk to Mitch Garver, Polanco grounded a two-run double down the right field line. Wandy Peralta replaced Morgan and allowed a bloop single to right by J.P. Crawford, scoring the final two runs of the inning.
After Raleigh’s homer, the Padres responded by going deep three times off Miller in the second. Sheets and Cronenworth hit solo shots and Tatis Jr. drove in two after a walk to No. 9 hitter Freddy Fermin.
In the bottom of the inning, Garver reached on an error by third baseman Manny Machado before Polanco lined a pitch just over the left field wall to pull Seattle within 4-3.
The Mariners tied it in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs on singles by Naylor and Polanco sandwiching a walk to Garver. The run scored as Crawford grounded into a double play.
Laureano homered in the seventh to make it 9-5.
The Padres got a final run in the ninth on a single by pinch hitter Will Wagner, a throwing error by third baseman Suarez and a groundout.
Sears yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two.
