Cal Raleigh shares heartfelt reflections on what Ken Griffey Jr. means to the Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh is having a season for the ages. The catcher leads all of the majors in home runs with 35, and in the process, has broken personal, franchise and league records with the amazing feat.

One record particular record that Raleigh has accomplished — is tying the most home runs recorded by a Mariner before the All-Star break with 35. It was set by franchise legend and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998 — and Raleigh could certainly have the chance to surpass the feat with games to spare.

In an interview, Raleigh shared his thoughts about Griffey's legacy in Seattle.

"He's pretty much, like, the face of the franchise," said Raleigh. (2:00-2:03)

Along with Griffey, Raleigh also mentioned some of the Mariners' greats who established notable careers for the franchise. Nonetheless, he reiterated that Griffey's impact went far and beyond the team as it transcended to the mainstream.

"(You can throw) Ken Griffey (Jr.), Ichiro (Suzuki), Felix (Hernandez), Randy (Johnson), Alvin Davis and Edgar (Martinez) up there on the Mount Rushmore of Mariners. (Griffey) is not just (for the) team, but all of baseball. How many injuries did the guy have? If he was healthy, I think he would have smashed the home run record, so, it's even more impressive." (2:05-2:35)

Known as "The Kid" or "Junior," Griffey was the face of baseball during its peak years in the 90s. He finished his career with 630 home runs, ranking him seventh, just above Hall of Famer Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

Mariners superstar Cal Raleigh goes ham against Pirates

During the Independence Day game between the Mariners and Pirates in Seattle, superstar catcher Cal Raleigh asserted dominance by uncorking two homers that widened the gap among the home run leaders this season.

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Raleigh recorded a two-run shot in the first off Pirates starter Bailey Falter, and then followed it up in the sixth with a solo shot against the same hurler.

Per baseball statistician Sarah Langs, Raleigh broke several records on his way to the home run lead this year. Raleigh recorded a career-high in season home runs with his 35th blast of the year even before the All-Star break commenced.

He also became the first switch-hitter in history to break the 30-home run barrier before the break, surpassing Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle's 29, set in 1956.

In addition, he set new heights for catchers with the most home runs by a backstop before the All-Star game, exceeding the tally of Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970, 28 homers.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago