Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for most home runs by a switch hitter, and the Seattle Mariners surged into sole possession of first place in the AL West with an 11-2 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Raleigh’s first-inning homer to left-center was his 54th of the season, matching Mantle’s 1961 mark with the Yankees.
It was also his 43rd homer as a catcher this year, breaking the previous record set by Atlanta’s Javy López in 2003.
The shot gave Seattle a quick 2-0 lead and set the tone for an afternoon full of milestones.
George Kirby struck out 14 batters, tying his career high, and allowed only two runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Kirby, now 9-7, walked none and threw 101 pitches.
It was his 36th career outing of at least six innings without issuing a walk.
He also fanned 14 Angels earlier this season on June 8 in Los Angeles.
Seattle completed a four-game sweep of the Angels, extending its winning streak to nine. The Angels were also eliminated from the playoffs.
The Mariners have won 20 of their past 23 home games. This is their first time alone atop the division standings since June 3.
Their nine-game streak is their longest since they won 14 in a row from July 2–17, 2022.
Jorge Polanco doubled three times and tied a franchise record with doubles in seven straight games. He finished 3-for-4 and scored twice.
Yoán Moncada left the game in the fifth inning with a sore left ankle.
The Angels had some bright spots: Christian Moore and Oswald Peraza each hit solo home runs, and rookie Denzer Guzmán collected the first two hits of his major league career. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (7-10) lasted just 3 1/3 innings, surrendering nine runs on 10 hits.
Seattle’s offense stayed relentless. In addition to Raleigh and Polanco, Julio Rodríguez and Mitch Haniger drove in runs, while every starter reached base at least once. The Mariners piled up 14 hits total.
The Mariners (82-68) are now one game ahead of Houston (81-69) in the AL West with 12 games to play.
They begin a road trip Tuesday in Kansas City, where Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.54 ERA) will start against Michael Wacha (9-11, 3.45).
©2025 Cox Media Group
