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The New York Yankees‘ captain, Aaron Judge’s 62-home-run season in 2022 was supposed to be untouchable, a modern-day Ruthian feat that felt destined to stand for decades. Just three years later, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has turned that belief upside down. With his 60th home run of the 2025 season, Raleigh has put himself in position to chase down the Yankees captain’s crown jewel: the American League single-season home run record.
Raleigh’s Historic Surge
Raleigh’s power display has been nothing short of astonishing. The 27-year-old switch-hitting catcher already owns records that stand on their own merit. He has the most home runs in a single season by a catcher, the most by a switch-hitter, and the Mariners’ franchise record. No other player in history has hit 20 home runs from both sides of the plate in the same season, and yet Raleigh has made it look routine.
On Wednesday night, he launched Nos. 59 and 60, sending the Seattle crowd into a frenzy as the Mariners celebrated their first AL West title since 2001. With that blast, he joined the ultra-exclusive club of hitters to ever reach the 60-homer plateau. It’s a group that includes only Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Judge. Raleigh is the 10th player to do it, and the only one to do so primarily as a catcher.
That’s what makes this chase so compelling for Yankees fans. Judge’s 62 in 2022 didn’t just set a record; it reaffirmed the legacy of Maris, whose 61 in 1961 had stood as the AL standard for decades. Judge gave the franchise a season that felt sacred, a historic run celebrated across baseball. Now Raleigh, a player who didn’t even enter 2025 as a household name, is threatening to snatch a piece of that history away.
The Countdown Begins
The math is simple: with four regular-season games remaining, Raleigh needs two home runs to tie Judge’s 62 and three to pass it. Every plate appearance from here on carries the weight of history. Mariners fans will be hanging on each swing, while Yankees fans—usually indifferent to happenings in Seattle—suddenly find themselves rooting against Raleigh’s longball barrage.
For Judge, the record will always mean something special. His 2022 season came under the bright lights of the Bronx, with the pressure of wearing pinstripes and carrying a team on his back. Every at-bat was nationally televised theater, every home run a reminder that Yankees history runs deeper than any other franchise’s. Even if Raleigh surpasses him, Judge’s achievement will never lose its significance in that context.
Still, the aura of exclusivity—being the only AL hitter to reach 62—would vanish. The conversation around Judge’s place in the game would inevitably shift. He’d go from standing alone with Maris in the record books to sharing the spotlight with a catcher from Seattle. That’s a twist no Yankees fan saw coming.
Whether Raleigh ties or breaks the record in the coming days, Judge’s legacy remains secure in the Bronx. His 2022 season will forever be remembered as one of the greatest individual campaigns in Yankees history. But make no mistake: the Mariners slugger has brought the thrill of the chase back to baseball, and with just four games left, Judge’s hold on the AL home run record has never looked more fragile.
Alvin Garcia Born in Puerto Rico, Alvin Garcia is a sports writer for Heavy.com who focuses on MLB. His work has appeared on FanSided, LWOS, NewsBreak, Athlon Sports, and Yardbarker, covering mostly MLB. More about Alvin Garcia
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