Big Dumper becomes 33rd player to hit 50 home runs in a season

Cal Raleigh became the 33rd player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 or more home runs in a single season.

The slugger affectionately known as ‘Big Dumper’ hit the milestone home run in the first inning of the Seattle Mariners’ 9-6 win against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on Monday, Aug. 25. Raleigh — hitting right-handed — clubbed the dinger off Padres lefty starter JP Sears in the first inning.

Raleigh’s 50th home run came just a day after he set the single-season home run record for a catcher, breaking a mark previously held by the Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez (48 home runs in 2021).

Six players in major league history finished a season with exactly 50 home runs: Jimmie Foxx (1938), Albert Belle (1995), Brady Anderson (1996), Greg Vaughn (1998), Sammy Sosa (2000) and Prince Fielder (2007).

Next possible home run milestones for Cal Raleigh

Raleigh — the 2025 Home Run Derby winner — is closing in on the single-season record for most home runs hit by a switch hitter.

Mickey Mantle set that standard with 54 home runs during the 1961 season; the same year his New York Yankees teammate Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record.

Raleigh also is six home runs away from matching Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners record — which he set twice — by hitting 56 home runs in 1997 and 1998.

Players with 50-plus home run seasons

(Number of home runs, season; players in alphabetical order)

Pete Alonso (53, 2019)
Brady Anderson (50, 1996)
José Bautista (54, 2010)
Albert Belle (50, 1995)
Barry Bonds (73, 2001)
Chris Davis (53, 2013)
Cecil Fielder (51, 1990)
Prince Fielder (50, 2007)
George Foster (52, 1977)
Jimmie Foxx (58, 1932; 50, 1938)
Luis Gonzalez (57, 2001)
Hank Greenberg (58, 1938)
Ken Griffey Jr. (56, 1997; 56, 1998)
Ryan Howard (58, 2006)
Andruw Jones (51, 2005)
Aaron Judge (62, 2022; 59, 2024; 52, 2017)
Ralph Kiner (54, 1949; 51, 1947)
Mickey Mantle (54, 1961; 52, 1956)
Roger Maris (61, 1961)
Willie Mays (52, 1965; 51, 1955)
Mark McGwire (70, 1998; 65, 1999; 58, 1997; 52, 1996)
Johnny Mize (51, 1947
Shohei Ohtani (54, 2024)
Matt Olson (54, 2023)
David Ortiz (54, 2006)
Cal Raleigh (50, 2025)
Alex Rodriguez (57, 2002; 54, 2007; 52, 2001)
Babe Ruth (60, 1927; 59, 1921; 54, 1920; 54, 1928)
Sammy Sosa (66, 1998; 64, 2001; 63, 1999; 50, 2000)
Giancarlo Stanton (59, 2017)
Jim Thome (52, 2002)
Greg Vaughn (50, 1998)
Hack Wilson (56, 1930)

Who are the MLB home run leaders for 2025?

1. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners — 50
2 (tie). Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers — 45
2 (tie). Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies — 45
4 (tie). Aaron Judge, New York Yankees — 40
4 (tie). Eugenio Suárez, Seattle Mariners — 40

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