Last Night in Baseball: Cal Raleigh’s 42nd Homer Breaks a Record
There’s always baseball happening — almost too much for one person to keep up with. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you catch up on what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are the standout moments from last night in Major League Baseball:
Raleigh Sets a New Homer Mark
Only three MLB games took place on Thursday, as teams were busy on the phones leading up to the trade deadline. However, the games we did get to see were packed with excitement. For instance, the Mariners faced off against the Rangers, where Cal Raleigh smashed his MLB-leading 42nd homer of the season. This was significant not just for extending his lead, but it also broke the tie with Todd Hundley for the most home runs ever hit by a switch-hitting catcher. Raleigh is now the all-time leader in that category, and each homer keeps pushing that record further out of reach.
Raleigh also has more switch-hitting and catching-related home run records to chase in the final two months of the 2025 season. Salvador Perez’s 2021 season saw him hit 48 homers, a record for catchers — Raleigh is just seven homers away from claiming that record himself with 52 games left in the season. Mickey Mantle is the only switch-hitter to have had a 50-homer season, and he achieved this twice, with a record of 54 in 1961. As of Friday morning, Raleigh is on track for 62 homers, which would not only surpass Mantle’s record but also tie Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs from 2022.
While Big Dumper might not break or match all these records, the possibility is certainly there. If he can have another hot streak like the ones he had earlier this summer, then… well, that’s why they play the games, right?
Suárez Debuts for Seattle (Again)
Didn’t this guy just play for the Mariners? Eugenio Suárez made his return to Seattle after one-and-a-half seasons with the Diamondbacks. cebuana lhuillier open hours According to MLB, with Suárez’s arrival, the Mariners now have only the second pair of players, both with 35 or more homers, on the same team since August 1, joining the duo of Roger Maris and Mantle from the 1961 Yankees. Of course, Judge broke Maris’ record of 61 home runs in 2022. Everything is interconnected!
Anyway, Suárez didn’t hit a homer in his re-debut, but he did drill a double and scored a run in a decisive 6-0 victory over the Rangers.
What a Catch!
“Another highlight from the Seattle game?” you ask. Did you not notice that only three games were played on Thursday? Furthermore, this catch is sensational and deserves a mention regardless. Let’s thank the Mariners for providing both of us with so much to discuss.
Julio Rodríguez is already well-known for his defensive skills, but this play was still surprising. Look at how far he covered ground! And that slide! Remarkably, he held onto the ball at the point of impact — which doesn’t always happen. How many triples have you seen as a result of a ball slipping out of a glove sliding along the ground with the player?
The Reds and Braves Put on a Show
The game in Cincinnati was pretty uneventful through seven innings, with the teams tied at 3-3. Elly De La Cruz finally broke his July-long homer drought in the bottom of the third, marking his 19th homer of the year, but the rest of the game was rather quiet. Then came the eighth inning bounce philippines.
Ozzie Albies kicked off the inning with a single off Reds’ reliever Graham Ashcraft, who then allowed another single to Sean Murphy. Sam Moll came in for relief but surrendered a bunt single to Michael Harris II, loading the bases. Eli White followed up with yet another single, driving in Albies, and still, there were no outs.
Luke Williams hit a double to bring home Murphy and Harris, putting the Braves ahead 6-3 nba lakers vs golden state. Though Jurickson Profar struck out, it was merely a pause for Atlanta, as Matt Olson reached on a fielder’s choice that brought in their seventh run of the game and fourth for the inning. The Reds then replaced Moll with Lyon Richardson, but it made no difference.
Marcell Ozuna walked, loading the bases again. Albies, who started the inning, gathered his second single, bringing in Olson and Riley — 10-3, Braves. Murphy then doubled to bring home Ozuna, prompting the Reds to bring in Brent Suter to pitch. Suter was the one Reds pitcher that inning who didn’t give up a run or a baserunner, as he struck out Harris and got White to fly out. However, it was already 11-3 Braves at that point — not great for the Reds.
But wait! An opportunity for the Reds to score eight runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Really! Cincinnati pounded Atlanta’s pitchers just the same — starting with Ke’Bryan Hayes’ first homer as a Red after they traded for him before the deadline, a three-run shot that trimmed the lead to 11-6.
Cincinnati kept pushing hard, and the eighth inning concluded with the teams tied again, just as they began, only with 16 more runs on the board and both clubs having nearly exhausted their bullpens. As MLB’s Sarah Langs noted, it was just the third time in MLB history that two teams scored at least eight runs each in a single inning, with the last occurrence dating back to 2007.
The Braves eventually won by scoring in the 10th on a sac fly from Ozuna, which was oddly enough the only other run in the game after that chaotic eighth inning. Perhaps everyone was just too tired.
Stanton Goes Boom
Giancarlo Stanton has been quietly having his best season in years. Although his 2025 season got off to a delayed start due to severe tennis elbow in both arms, he has played 32 games and has hit eight homers with an impressive line of .270/. frivxom341/.514 — yielding career-best numbers if they hold steady for the final two months. And that eighth homer? It certainly made some noise.
When Stanton is healthy, he can hit the ball harder than just about anyone else. What a shot! The Yankees, after a long rain delay, defeated the Rays 7-4 and head into August with a record of 60-49 — 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East but 2.5 games up in the wild card race.
What did you think of last night’s thrilling games in Major League Baseball rice price tag?
