Seattle's Cal Raleigh becomes first catcher and switch-hitter to win Home Run Derby
Share and Follow

ATLANTA — Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first All-Star Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in long balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.

The Mariners breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper advanced from the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center field seats was the longest of the night.

Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left field.

All-Star Home Run Derby Baseball cal raleigh
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh competes during the MLB baseball All-Star Home Run Derby, in Atlanta, on Monday.Brynn Anderson / AP

Becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a major league-leading 38 home runs. He became the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.

Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother Todd Raleigh Jr. did the catching.

Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s ley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he then hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the final.

Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal.

Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.

Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls and Buxton had 20 in the opening round. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, but Raleigh advanced on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.

Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.

The longest derby homer since Statcast started tracking in 2016 was 520 feet by Juan Soto in the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Field in 2021. Last year, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 feet by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.

Wood hit 16 homers, including a 486-foot shot and one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, He also was eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
University of Delaware student accused of 'frightening' plot to attack campus police

Disturbing Campus Plot Uncovered: University of Delaware Student Arrested in Attack Scheme on Police

A University of Delaware student has been arrested and now faces both…
Pope Leo XIV's childhood Dolton, Illinois home is officially a historical landmark at 212 E. 141st Place

Discover the Historic Roots: Pope Leo XIV’s Childhood Home in Dolton, Illinois Designated as a Landmark

The village of Dolton, Illinois, has proudly declared the childhood residence of…
Man in custody for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails into LA federal building, docs show

Shocking Arrest: Man Accused of Launching Molotov Cocktail Attack on LA Federal Building

A man from Los Angeles is currently in custody after allegedly attempting…
Dozens of tenants in South Shore, Chicago building Customs and Border Protection raided being evicted: 'We don't deserve this'

Eviction Looms for Dozens in South Shore Building Following Customs and Border Protection Raid: ‘We Don’t Deserve This

In Chicago, a building notorious for a federal raid now faces a…
Sabrina Carpenter calls White House video using her song 'evil and disgusting'

Sabrina Carpenter Criticizes White House Video Featuring Her Song as ‘Evil and Disgusting

The White House’s social media team has found itself in a controversy…
FILE - Honduras

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Released Following Trump Pardon

In an unexpected turn of events, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández,…
America's most notorious dine-and-dasher is EVICTED

Infamous U.S. Dine-and-Dasher Faces Eviction

An alleged serial dine-and-dasher, who has reportedly been evicted from various New…
Forrest, the last escaped monkey from Mississippi highway crash, finds new life at New Jersey sanctuary

Escaped Mississippi Highway Monkey Finds Sanctuary in New Jersey After Rescue

The last of the monkeys that fled from a transport van accident…