Cal Raleigh is officially the first player to reach 40 home runs this season.

The Seattle Mariners catcher that we all affectionately know as "Big Dumper" hit a no-doubter off Los Angeles Angels reliever Jose Fermin Saturday evening for homer No. 40 on the year. On a 2-0 count, Raleigh got a 97-mph heater low and in the zone, which he quickly took 416 feet out to right field.

He mainly edged out Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who has 38 home runs on the year. Aaron Judge, who was just placed on the injured list, is the second closest with 37. Then, Eugenio Suárez and Kyle Schwarber are next with 36 long balls apiece.

Raleigh becomes just the seventh catcher in Major League Baseball history to record 40 homers in a season and he still has two months to spare. The last catcher to reach the feat was Salvador Perez, who hit 48 home runs in 2021, which is the highest total for a catcher ever. Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza both had two 40 home-run seasons, with Bench hitting 45 dingers in 1970.

The "Big Dumper" is coming off a Home Run Derby win at All-Star weekend in Atlanta, where he hit a whopping 54 total home runs on the night.

With the race to 40 complete by the end of July, Raleigh now seems bound to top Perez's all-time record for home runs in a season by a catcher with plenty of time to spare.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cal Raleigh Wins Race to 40 Home Runs With Massive Shot vs. Angels.

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