Major League Baseball's home-run leader, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, smacked his 43rd homer of the season Friday night in a huge spot.

He stepped up to the plate as the Mariners trailed the Rays 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and two runners on base. Ahead in the count 2-0, he received an 87-mph sweeper low in the zone from newly acquired Rays relief pitcher Griffin Jax. Raleigh sent the pitch 417 feet and over the fence at T-Mobile Park to give the Mariners the late lead.

After the ball hit Raleigh's bat, Jax raised his arm in the air to direct his defense which became a hilarious moment since it flew far over the center-field fence.

In Jax's defense, it wasn't exactly a no-doubt home run and he didn't appear to put his pointer finger in the air, likely because he quickly realized Raleigh just hit a game-changing homer off him. Still, a funny moment nonetheless. After the three-run shot ended up in a 3-2 loss for the Rays, Jax acknowledged he put himself in a bad spot, getting behind on one of baseball's best hitters.

"There’s a reason he’s having a really good year," Jax said of Raleigh postgame via MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. "He’s a really good hitter. I’ve had a couple at-bats against him this year that have gone my way, so he’s seen me now three or four times. When I put myself in a hole 2-0, good hitters do that."

Raleigh's 43rd homer on the year widened his lead on Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber who has hit 41. In the American League, the next closest players to the "Big Dumper" are his new teammate Eugenio Suárez and Yankees star Aaron Judge, who have 37 homers apiece this season.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rays Reliever Hilariously Pointed Up on Cal Raleigh's 417-Foot Go-Ahead Home Run.

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