Mariners' Cal Raleigh isn't done chasing Aaron Judge's AL home run record

This has been one of the most entertaining seasons in almost five decades of Seattle Mariners baseball, filled with a seemingly never-ending stream of enticing storylines. And right there at the top of the list as one of the most absorbing characters of all is the "Big Dumper," Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh has enjoyed a magical 2025 highlighted by setting new all-time single-season home run marks for a catcher, switch-hitter and Mariner. And when you're surpassing the likes of Salvador Perez, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. respectively, it really does shine a light on what a special player who are in your own right.

One of the biggest questions during the final couple of months of the 2025 regular season was if Raleigh could catch Aaron Judge's AL record of 62 home runs in a year, set in 2022. Ultimately, the Mariners' clubhouse leader became just the seventh player in Major League history to reach 60 homers in a regular season campaign, but he fell just short of Judge's record.

However, if you're a New York Yankees and Judge fan, then you're still not quite out of the woods yet when it comes to bragging rights. That's because Raleigh still has a chance to catch the four-time Silver Slugger for the AL record of most combined home runs in the regular season and postseason:

Thanks to Raleigh's two home runs in the postseason, he sits alongside Babe Ruth and Roger Maris with 62 to date, which in its own right only further illustrates the almost surreal year he's having. If he could find a way to hit at least two more and tie Judge's AL record, surely even the most stubborn of Yankees fans would have to put aside their arrogant ignorance and admit the M's 2024 Platinum Glove winner deserves to be named AL MVP.

So what are Cal Raleigh's chances of catching Aaron Judge?

Of course there is the question of how realistic it is to expect Raleigh to tie or even beat Judge's record. Well, in terms of the basics he still has at least four more games to play, i.e. if the Toronto Blue Jays manage to find a way to win four straight games in the AL Championship Series.

While it might not seem realistic to many for Raleigh to reach/surpass 64 home runs, the longer the Mariners remain in the playoffs will obviously only help the cause by way of more opportunities at the pate. And let's not forget he's more than capable of catching fire as evidenced by 11 multi-home run games this season, which equalled the record held by Judge, Sammy Sosa and Hank Greenberg.

Further helping Raleigh's case is that he's already caught fire to a certain extent, at least in terms of how productive he's been so far this postseason. As per ESPN's Paul Hembekides, the 2025 All-Star currently has the second-best postseason OPS of all-time for players with 60-home run seasons:

A first ever berth in the World Series and attempting to then win it clearly remains the main focus for this Mariners team, and the best case for Raleigh proving he's more valuable to his team than Judge. However, if he can find a way to squeeze out three more home runs, this would only further infuriate Yankees fans, and who wouldn't cheer for that outside of New York?