ARLINGTON, Texas — Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh finally broke through Monday evening, launching his inaugural home run of the 2026 campaign after going 10 consecutive games without clearing the fence.
The catcher, who dominated Major League Baseball with 60 round-trippers in 2025, delivered the long ball during a marathon 12-pitch battle against Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award recipient. Raleigh worked through six foul balls while facing elimination with two strikes before crushing a 99 mph heater over the right field wall in the opening frame.
The power hitter’s previous longest stretch without a home run last season lasted eight contests.
Coming into Monday’s matchup, Raleigh was struggling mightily at the plate with a .132 batting average and just one run to his credit this year. The veteran nearly ended his drought during Saturday’s contest versus the Los Angeles Angels when he launched a first-inning drive that appeared destined for the seats, only to watch right fielder Jo Adell make a spectacular grab above the wall — the first of three would-be homers Adell robbed in that single game.
