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On Tuesday morning, Kelly Ripa received an unexpected lesson on “The Big Dumper,” a nickname for Seattle Mariners catcher, Cal Raleigh.
During an episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Mark Consuelos, the show’s sports enthusiast, highlighted the Seattle Mariners’ triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, October 13. This victory advanced their record to 2-0 in the ALCS.
Consuelos engaged the studio audience by asking, “Any Mariners fans here?” Upon spotting a few in the upper section, he inquired about the name of the team’s catcher.
The audience responded in unison, “Cal Raleigh.”
Curious, Consuelos followed up with, “And what’s his nickname?”
The fans responded, “Big Dumper.”
Ripa exclaimed, “What? They call him the Big Dumper? Why?”
Fans of the team are well aware of the origins of Raleigh’s moniker, which was coined by his former teammate Jarred Kelenic because of his well-endowed behind, per MLB.com. This put the fan in the Live audience on the spot, as he struggled to word why Raleigh is called the Big Dumper.
Ultimately the fan concluded, “You gotta see a picture of him.”
Ripa asked, “Can we see a picture of him? Can we get a picture of the Big Dumper?”
Consuelos chimed in, “I love that name. I saw the highlights and Big Dumper did a lot of stuff this year, right?”
He learned from fans in the audience that Raleigh hit “60 homers” this year, though Ripa was still curious as to how Raleigh got his nickname.
“So if I see a picture of the Big Dumper, will it then become apparent to me? Will I, a novice?” she inquired. “It will be like, undisputed.”
After she received confirmation, Ripa added, “Ok! Alright, I’m looking forward to seeing what I see. I mean, my gosh. I like it already. Any time it’s the big anything, sign me up.”
Minutes later, Ripa’s wish was granted, as Consuelos showed her a picture of the Big Dumper.
“Powerful glutes. Is that what you meant?” he teased
However, Ripa didn’t seem as stunned by Raleigh’s “powerful glutes” as others are.
“I’m going to say something controversial. I don’t think the dumper’s that big,” she shared. “It doesn’t look that big.”
Consuelos conceded that the picture is “an action shot,” claiming that “maybe in still life, it’s a little more interesting.” He proceeded to show another picture.
“Guys, does he enjoy that nickname, do you think?” he asked the fans, who seemingly thought so. “He likes it? He’s leaning in, obviously. Got it.”
Ripa asked the fans, “Are you guys related to The Big Dumper? You seem like authoritative figures on The Big Dumper.”
After Ripa, Consuelos, and the audience had a good laugh, Consuelos was struck with a brilliant idea.
“Maybe that’s who I’ll go as for Halloween. The Big Dumper,” he proposed. “That could be fun.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.