Raleigh matches Bench for the highest number of home runs by a catcher prior to the All-Star break — achieving this in 14 games less.

CHICAGO — Cal Raleigh’s remarkable summer of power continues to make history, as the Mariners’ catcher launched his 28th home run of the season on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, equaling Johnny Bench’s record for the most homers by a primary catcher before the All-Star break.

Bench established the record in 1970, requiring 87 games to achieve that feat, while Raleigh hit his milestone in just 73 games. This leaves Raleigh with 22 games remaining before the Midsummer Classic to surpass the 55-year-old record set by the Hall of Famer, who recently expressed his admiration for “Big Dumper” in an interview with USA Today.
Raleigh is currently projected to hit 62 home runs this season, a mark that would surpass the single-season home run record for primary catchers, set by Salvador Perez of the Royals in 2021 with 48.

Additionally, Raleigh has widened his lead in the MLB for this category, with second-place Aaron Judge at 26 and third-place Shohei Ohtani at 25, both of whom are the reigning MVPs of the American and National Leagues, respectively.
Regarding the All-Star break, it’s quite likely that Raleigh will receive an invitation to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta. He shared with MLB.com earlier this month that he would “jump at the chance.”
On Friday, Raleigh connected with a 94.6 mph fastball, low and away, thrown by Cubs starter Matthew Boyd—his teammate from the Mariners in 2022—and sent it soaring just over the left-center-field wall, clipping the basket above the ivy, securing a 1-0 advantage for the Mariners.
With winds gusting towards center field at 12 mph during the initial pitch in this legendary hitter-friendly park, Raleigh may have received a bit of an advantage, as Statcast estimated that the 381-foot shot would only clear the fence in a single stadium. However, this shouldn’t undermine the overall strength of Raleigh’s hitting throughout the season, as there have been numerous legitimate home runs.