Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit three home runs on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, securing a 9-2 win. The performance marked his first career three-homer game, matching a rare franchise milestone previously achieved only by manager Dan Wilson nearly thirty years ago.
Cal Raleigh hasn’t looked like this since the night he hit 60. Yet even during his historic 2025 season, he never had a game like this. The Mariners’ big backstop went for a full-fledged hat trick on a Monday night against the Phillies, crushing three home runs for the first time in his career. The outburst provided tangible evidence of a long-awaited breakout at the most opportune time as Seattle gains ground in the American League playoff race.
Powering Past Zack Wheeler and Chase Shugart
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Raleigh’s historic night unfolded across three separate trips to the plate. Those three long balls opened the floodgates toward a 9-2 victory.
The offensive explosion offered a welcome relief for a player experiencing a difficult 2026 campaign. Last year’s runner-up for American League MVP had cleared the fence just 14 times before stepping into the batter’s box on Monday night, and he hadn’t posted a multihomer game all season.
Joining Manager Dan Wilson in Mariners History
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Raleigh’s three-homer performance marked just the second time in franchise history that a Mariners catcher posted a three-homer game. The only other occurrence came from none other than his current manager, Dan Wilson, on April 11, 1996.
With the milestone, Raleigh became just the 13th player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a single game. He also tied Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez for the second-most multihomer games in club history, with 22, sitting behind only Ken Griffey Jr., who accumulated 40.
Chasing October and Defeating a Streaking Phillies Team
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To reach October, the Mariners require a high-powered version of Raleigh resembling last year’s MVP runner-up. The team’s season has been equally maddening as mediocre by club expectations, marked by the past four months of frustration. However, Seattle can erase those struggles by securing a postseason berth, and the club remains indifferent to the benefits of playing in one of baseball’s historically weak divisions.
Monday’s victory demonstrated the squad’s full potential against elite competition. The Phillies arrived in Seattle firmly entrenched in the playoff race on the back of a nine-game win streak, before Raleigh and the Mariners halted their momentum.
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