Raleigh hits HRs No. 55, 56 to pass Mantle, tie Mariners' mark - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cal Raleigh broke a record held by Mickey Mantle on Tuesday while matching another held by Ken Griffey Jr.

That's some company for a single night.

The Mariners catcher hit his 55th homer of the season in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals, sending him past Mantle's mark for a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. Then, Raleigh hit his 56th the very next inning, matching the club record that Griffey first established in 1997 and matched himself the following year.

«It just doesn't even seem real,» said Seattle designated hitter Dominic Canzone, who on almost any other night would have been the star. He went 5 for 5 with three homers in the 12-5 win — the 10th straight for the Mariners.

«I mean, he just does it every single day,» Canzone continued, «and he's doing it behind the plate as well. So just to have that type of a performance out of your catcher, it's something that you really don't see. It's like, a once-in-a-lifetime type of player.»

Making the two-homer night even more impressive? Raleigh took a pitch from Mariners starter Logan Gilbert that bounced off the plate and off his neck, where it had missed under his catcher's mask. A red welt was visible after the game.

Good thing for Seattle that he never thought about taking the rest of the night off.

«Yeah, I mean, it didn't feel good,» said Raleigh, who also had a double and finished 3 for 5 at the plate. «You know, kind of let my head up a little bit. Have to tuck it in a little better. It was all good. Just stung a bit.

»One of those things that happen to catchers every once in a while."

The homer barrage? That doesn't happen among catchers very often. Raleigh earlier this season passed the home run mark for a backstop that