Mariner Milestone: Cal Raleigh Reaches 40th HR, Calls It 'Cool Moment'

Cal Raleigh reached another landmark in his incredible season Saturday night when he drilled his 40th home run deep into the right field bleachers at Angel Stadium.

Becoming the seventh catcher in major league history to hit 40 homers has been all but inevitable for Raleigh ever since the Seattle Mariners slugger got to the All-Star break with 38 — and then won the Home Run Derby.

Raleigh still felt the 40th was special, mostly because it broke a tie and propelled the Mariners to a valuable 7-2 victory in their playoff chase.

"It’s a cool milestone to hit, and I’m very thankful for it, and it’s a cool moment for sure," Raleigh said. "I look back to 20 or 30, and that was cool, and 40 is definitely very cool as well. I’m not trying to downplay it, but I’m glad we got the win tonight, and I’ll look back one day and it will be cool."

Raleigh is the first player in the majors to hit 40 this season, doing it before the calendar even turns to August.

He crushed a 2-0 fastball from struggling Angels reliever Jose Fermin, driving it 416 feet with a 113.5-mph exit velocity. The shot put the Mariners up 3-2, and they added three more runs in the inning to take control of their second win in three games in Anaheim.

"I’m sure it feels great to get to 40," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. "I’m sure he wants to get to 41 as soon as possible, because he knows it helps us win ballgames, and at this point, that’s what he’s looking for. Knowing Cal, he wants us to win. But a big milestone for sure. The season, the numbers that he’s put up is pretty staggering. This is just another one of those notches on the belt."

Although he was the Mariners' designated hitter Saturday, Raleigh joined an elite club of hitters who primarily played