Seattle star Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 54th home run in the first inning on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, tying Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for most by a switch-hitter that he set in 1961.
Raleigh hit a two-run shot off Kyle Hendricks 409 feet into the Mariners’ bullpen in left-center field.
Mantle topped 50 twice in his career, also hitting 52 in 1956. When Mantle set the mark in 1961, he and New York Yankees teammate Roger Maris spent the summer chasing Babe Ruth’s MLB-record 60 home runs.
After Sunday’s game, Raleigh will have 12 games to break the tie with Mantle.
Raleigh has two more homers than Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 52nd on Sunday.
Raleigh also sits two homers shy of Seattle’s franchise record owned by Hall of Fame center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., who set the mark in 1997 and equaled it in 1998 when the Mariners played at the Kingdome.
