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Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners Slugger, MLB’s leader in home runs on the All-Star break, is the long ballking in Atlanta.
And he made history in the process.
Raleigh beat Tampa Bay Rays Budding Star Junior Caminero, 18-15, in the final round to win the 2025 Home Run Derby in Truist Park on Monday night to start all-star celebrations.
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Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh (29) during the 2025 Home Run Derby in Truist Park. (Brett Davis-Preferred Pictures)
“Big Dumps”, as he is lovingly known, is the first catcher to ever won the event since it began four decades ago. Raleigh is also the second Mariners player to ever won, as Ken Griffey Jr., Hall of Famer, who was in Dugout -See, was the only one before this performance.
Raleigh, who has belted 38 homers in what has become his breakout season for the marines, were all smiles when he and his father, who broke up to him throughout the competition, celebrated the victory.
Like Victor, Raleigh also gets $ 1 million from MLB, while Caminero, who was the youngest Derby champion of all times at 22 years old, gets $ 750,000 as runner-up.
There was also a moment in the final round where it seemed that there could have been some controversy, as one of the Ball Boys shaking the non-home baskets in Outfield seemingly deprived of a Caminero home.
Caminero went into the bonus round and needed five home runs to win, but he didn’t get close when he hit too many in the game for the Raleigh victory.
But Raleigh hardly got out of the first round when he did it by literally an inch.
Tampa Bay Rays Infielder Junior Caminero (13) during the 2025 Home Run Derby in Truist Park. (Brett Davis-Preferred Pictures)
Athletics’ right-handed hitter Brent-Rooker and Raleigh both peaked out in the first round of 471 meters with their longest home runs. When they each had 17 homers, it came down to the exact distance and Raleigh’s longest ball was calculated at 470.63 feet compared to Rooker’s 470.53-foot bomb.
Apart from these two brilliant performances, Pittsburgh Pirates Slugger O’Neil Cruz had the most memorable home drive at night. Left, which has clocked exit speeds higher than 120 km / hi his career, hit a ball 513 feet and put all its 6-foot-7 frame in it.
Atlanta Braves star Matt Olsen was able to have a solid stretch towards the end of his first round, but he was unable to crack into the top four. Instead, the last place went to Byron Buxton, who had a big bonus round to get to the semi -finals.
However, Buxton had only seven homers in the next round, leaving Caminero with only an eight-home brand he had to reach. He did it with ease and had a good amount of rest while Raleigh and Cruz fought for the head-to-head.
Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh (29) Bats during the 2025 Home Run Derby in Truist Park. (Jordan Godfree-IMAGN images)
Washington Nationals Young Star James Wood had a respectable 16 homers in the first round, while New York Yankee’s Infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn’t find the right stroke with only three homers numerous.
