Cal Raleigh is the 2025 Home Run Derby champion.
The Seattle Mariners star claimed the commemorative title chain on Monday night after mashing 18 taters in the final round of the event as he outdueled Tampa Bay Rays‘ Junior Caminero (15 home runs) at Truist Park in Atlanta.
A fitting accomplishment for MLB’s home run leader (38) at the all-star break, as “Big Dumper” became the first catcher in league history to win the annual power show.
Raleigh earned his way to the title by hitting 17 home runs in the opening round, then knocking 19 more dingers out of the park in the semifinal to eliminate Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley 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 semifinal and final.
In the first round of the derby, Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls while Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins) had 20 as all three advanced. Raleigh and Brent Rooker (Athletics) had 17 apiece, but Raleigh was the final hitter to move into the semifinal on a tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.
Along with Rooker, James Wood (Washington Nationals), Jazz Chisolm Jr. (New York Yankees) and Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves) were all eliminated in the first round. Wood hit 16 homers, Olson knocked 15 in front of his home crowd while Chisolm was the least productive with just three dingers.
The longest homer of the night belonged to Cruz as the Pirates slugger torpedoed a ball 513 feet at 118 m.p.h. in the opening round.
— with files from the Associated Press
More to come.
