Cal Raleigh's heartwarming dominance evoked one classic Home Run Derby moment

Cal Raleigh's star is shining that much brighter after his win in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. It also had the effect of warming everyone's hearts, as sharing in Raleigh's triumph were his father, Todd Sr., and his younger brother, Todd Jr.

As "Big Dumper" did the hitting, Todd Jr. did the catching and Todd Sr. did the pitching. Though Raleigh's dad actually hit his son with a pitch at one point, he grooved enough of them for the MLB home run leader to send 54 balls into the Truist Park bleachers, ultimately resulting in a win over Junior Caminero in the finals.

It was a triumph 20 years in the making for Raleigh himself, and likewise a dream come true for his old man.

“It’s just a great accomplishment and I think that every dad that’s had a kid, this is what they dreamed about,” Todd Sr. said after the event. “And as a dad, you kind of dream about it. To see it come true for your son is unbelievable.” 

The 2025 Home Run Derby was reminiscent of Josh Hamilton's classic performance in 2008

If there was something about the Raleigh family affair that felt vaguely familiar, it might be because we saw something similar play out at Yankee Stadium 17 years ago.

The 2008 Home Run Derby is rightfully famous for Josh Hamilton's extraordinary display of power. He hit a then-record 28 homers in the first round, at a time when hitters got 10 outs instead of three minutes to work with. He hit 13 in a row at one point and peaked with a shot that landed 502 feet away from home plate.

Less well remembered is who was pitching to Hamilton that night: Clay Council.

Though the 71-year-old Council was 44 years the 27-year-old Hamilton's senior at the time, the two had known each other since Hamilton was 13 years old and growing up in North Carolina. He used to tag along to his older brother's American Legion practices and games, for which Council was the coach. At some point, Council began throwing batting practice to the younger Hamilton.

“I could see he was something special,” Council told the New York Daily News in 2008. “I always told him, ‘If you get to the big leagues and do the Home Run Derby, bring me and I’ll make you look good.’ Two or three weeks ago, he called me and said, ‘I’m gonna hold you to your promise.'”

The parallels between Hamilton and Council in 2008 and the Raleigh family last night obviously aren't perfect. But there is the North Carolina connection, and it is by no means a reach to say that none of them would have been there without Todd Sr.

Dhani Joseph has an amazing story in The Athletic about how Raleigh developed into the major league superstar he is today, and it starts with an inciting incident. When Raleigh was 14, the coach of the local high school team told Todd Sr., then the head coach of the University of Tennessee baseball team, that his son might only be a "Division III player" even if he worked really hard.

This prompted the elder Raleigh to pause his coaching career and move his family back to North Carolina, where he committed to developing Cal as a baseball player. To say that things have worked out would be understating it.

“He’s a big reason why I’m here,” the younger Raleigh told Joseph. “It meant a lot. And looking back, I don’t think he’d do it any other way.”

The 2008 Home Run Derby was Hamilton's coming-out party as a superstar. That was his first of five straight years as an All-Star, and he was also the MVP winner in the first of back-to-back seasons for the Texas Rangers as American League champions in 2010 and 2011.

Raleigh's win last night feels similar in this respect, and Mariners fans certainly hope it will be an equally effective springboard to greater things. For the meantime, there's a lesson to be learned from the inspiring show the Raleighs put on last night: Nobody gets to a place like that on their own.