Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh became the seventh player in MLB history to hit at least 60 home runs in a season Wednesday night when he drove two hits out of T-Mobile Park during the Mariners’ 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

In related news, the man who reportedly caught the milestone ball appears to have given it away to a young fan sitting nearby. Sure, the gesture wasn’t nearly as historic as what the player lovingly known as Big Dumper had just accomplished, but it was pretty cool — especially considering the ball’s potential value.

Read more:Fan gives back Mike Trout’s 400th career home run ball, but not before getting to do something cool

Here’s more on Raleigh’s 60th home run and the act of kindness that followed.

Big night for Big Dumper

Raleigh entered the night with 58 home runs, already well beyond his previous career high of 34 from last season. The switch-hitting catcher was batting left-handed in the first inning when he blasted a 93-mph fastball from Tanner Gordon 438 feet into the upper deck behind right field for home run No. 59.

Then, with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning, chants of “M-V-P” were already raining down on Raleigh as he stepped to the plate, batting left-handed again, against Rockies reliever Angel Chivilli.

One pitch later, the at-bat was over and Raleigh had made history. He ripped a 98-mph fastball from Chivilli 389 feet into the right field stands to join Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001), Mark McGwire (1998, 1999), Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022) as the only players to hit at least 60 home runs in a season.

CAL.
RALEIGH.
60. pic.twitter.com/p8RXormx4q

— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2025

Raleigh rounded the bases, then took a curtain call in front of an ecstatic crowd that included his parents, Todd and Stephanie Raleigh.

It was the 11th time this season Raleigh had hit multiple home runs in a game, which ties the MLB record held by Hank Greenberg (1938), Sosa (1998) and Judge (2022). Raleigh, who also had a two-run double in the second inning, finished with four RBIs to give him an American League-leading 125 this season.

In addition to Raleigh’s personal achievements Wednesday night, the Mariners clinched their first AL West title since 2001.

Read more:Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw boost bullpen, Dodgers magic number reduced to 1

“It’s crazy,” Raleigh said after the game. “Sixty is, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t know if I was going to hit 60 in my life. And then I did it like this. Just tonight, I mean, what a way to do it.”

Raleigh has four regular-season games left to try to break Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs, set in 2022. The all-time MLB record is 72, set by the San Francisco Giants’ Bonds in 2001.

Kind gesture in the stands

Based on a fan video posted on social media, it appears that a man wearing Mariners gear initially ended up with the historic ball. That fan can be seen holding the ball over his head while others seated nearby applaud his (and Raleigh’s) accomplishment.

A second video, posted by the same fan who posted the first one, appears to show that the man gave the ball to a younger fan (someone can be heard in the video joyfully exclaiming, “Oh my God! They gave it away to this kid!”). The boy and an adult appear to be following security out of the stands, presumably to somewhere the Mariners might be able to make an offer to secure the ball for Raleigh.

The Times did not receive an immediate response from the Mariners regarding the current whereabouts of the ball, what the young fan may have been offered for it and whether the original fan who got the ball was recognized in any way for his gesture.

Adam Gresch, the team’s senior manager of communications, reposted a photo of the man on X and wrote: “The Mariners would love to get in contact with this incredible fan. If you know him, please DM!”

The fans sitting around the man definitely appreciated what he had done. The same video shows them applauding the new local legend, who tipped his hat to them and seemed genuinely happy with his decision to part with the ball.

Read more:Phillies fan explains why he plucked a home run ball from his son’s glove and gave it to a total stranger

It’s a feel-good story that helps cleanse the palate weeks after another viral incident took place in the stands at a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins in Florida. Phillies fan Drew Feltwell secured a home run ball hit by Harrison Bader and placed it in the glove of 9-year-old son Lincoln.

A woman quickly approached Feltwell, however, and angrily declared that the ball belonged to her. In an effort to set an example for his children by de-escalating the situation, Feltwell later said, he reached into his son’s glove and gave it to the woman, who quickly became known on social media as “Phillies Karen.”

Selfless to a fault?

Still, some folks on X are calling the Mariners fan “stupid” and “foolish” for giving away a ball that could be worth a fortune. Last year, the home run ball that gave Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani the distinction of being the only MLB player to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season sold at auction for a record $4.4 million.

It still remains to be seen, however, just who will receive that money. Three individuals have claimed to have been the rightful owner of the ball, and the matter remains tied up in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court. A calendar call in the case has been set for January.

In December 2022, Judge’s 62nd home run ball sold to an anonymous bidder for $1.5 million.

If Raleigh’s 60th home run ball went up for auction now — and there’s no immediate indication that’s going to happen — it likely wouldn’t sell for nearly as much as those two historic balls, which came off the bats of generational superstars from traditional powerhouse teams.

Read more:Can Roki Sasaki’s return provide Dodgers trustworthy relief? Early signs were promising

Ken Goldin, whose Goldin Auctions sold both the Ohtani and Judge balls, told The Times on Thursday that if Raleigh doesn’t hit any more home runs this season, he would expect the 60th home run ball to “sell in $250,000 range.”

“If he ends up hitting more, I still think that this is a six-figure ball,” Goldin said. “But the most valuable ball would be whatever his final home run of the year is.”

If Raleigh breaks Judge’s record with a 63rd home run, Goldin said it’s “possible” that ball could go for $1 million but predicted it would more likely land “in the high six figures.”

Cash value aside, last week, a possibly priceless act of selflessness followed a different milestone home run for Raleigh. When he hit his 57th home run of the season Saturday against the Houston Astros, Raleigh broke Ken Griffey Jr.’s team record for home runs in a season.

Read more:How Bill Russell stayed connected to baseball, and reconnected with the Dodgers

The ball landed in the Astros bullpen and was recovered by longtime Houston bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte, who personally took the ball to Raleigh and placed it in his glove.

“He said: ‘Thank you so much, I appreciate it. That means a lot to me,’” said Bracamonte, who received a hug from the opposing team’s star catcher. “And I said, ‘This is great.’”

Raleigh said of Bracamonte: “Class act over there with him, so I’m very grateful. He could have easily just thrown it up in the air, but he, I guess, understood and kept it for me … so very nice thing to do.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain suffered a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout Thursday, the team announced.

“McCain and the 76ers are consulting with specialists on next steps, and further updates will be provided as appropriate,” the Sixers said in a statement.

Philadelphia selected McCain out of Duke with the No. 16 overall pick in last year’s draft. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in the 23 games he played before suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee in December and missing the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Injuries plagued the Sixers last season, Philadelphia’s first missing the playoffs since 2016-17. In the second year of Nick Nurse’s run as head coach, the Sixers had a whopping 54 starting lineups. Star center Joel Embiid played only 19 games. Paul George, whom Philadelphia brought aboard last offseason on a four-year, $212 million max contract, played just 41 games. Even standout point guard Tyrese Maxey was limited to a career-low 52 games.

When Maxey was out early last season, McCain took over at point. In that six-game span, McCain averaged 25.2 points, 4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1% from deep. In the process, he turned in 27-, 29- and 34-point performances. 

Even after Maxey returned to the lineup, McCain still registered another 30 piece. That outing against the Brooklyn Nets gave McCain seven straight 20-plus-point games and, more importantly, the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in the first five starts of a career (26), the Sixers’ record for most 3-pointers made through the first 15 games of a career (37) as well as the NBA rookie record for most consecutive games with at least three 3-pointers made (8).

McCain became the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year before his knee injury. He’s part of a Sixers backcourt that features Maxey but also includes this year’s No. 3 overall pick V.J. Edgecombe.

McCain’s injury news Thursday raises additional questions about the Sixers and restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, who averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 28 games (25 starts) after the Sixers acquired him at the trade deadline last season.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that two sides “are very far apart on a deal.”

Charania said Grimes’ agent told him that Wednesday was the first time the Sixers had made a “formal hard offer” to Grimes as a restricted free agent.

Grimes will not be attending Sixers media day Friday, nor will he be traveling with the team this weekend for preseason, Grimes’ agent reportedly told Charania.

“From the 76ers’ side of this all, getting V.J. Edgecombe in the high lottery, obviously that changes the dynamics of their backcourt,” Charania said. And there is a level of uncertainty going into this year health-wise with key players like Joel Embiid, Paul George and where does that leave the Sixers in terms of offering those high-value, high-multi-year deals.”

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain suffered a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout Thursday, the team announced.

“McCain and the 76ers are consulting with specialists on next steps, and further updates will be provided as appropriate,” the Sixers said in a statement.

Philadelphia selected McCain out of Duke with the No. 16 overall pick in last year’s draft. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in the 23 games he played before suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee in December and missing the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Injuries plagued the Sixers last season, Philadelphia’s first missing the playoffs since 2016-17. In the second year of Nick Nurse’s run as head coach, the Sixers had a whopping 54 starting lineups. Star center Joel Embiid played only 19 games. Paul George, whom Philadelphia brought aboard last offseason on a four-year, $212 million max contract, played just 41 games. Even standout point guard Tyrese Maxey was limited to a career-low 52 games.

When Maxey was out early last season, McCain took over at point. In that six-game span, McCain averaged 25.2 points, 4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1% from deep. In the process, he turned in 27-, 29- and 34-point performances. 

Even after Maxey returned to the lineup, McCain still registered another 30 piece. That outing against the Brooklyn Nets gave McCain seven straight 20-plus-point games and, more importantly, the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in the first five starts of a career (26), the Sixers’ record for most 3-pointers made through the first 15 games of a career (37) as well as the NBA rookie record for most consecutive games with at least three 3-pointers made (8).

McCain became the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year before his knee injury. He’s part of a Sixers backcourt that features Maxey but also includes this year’s No. 3 overall pick V.J. Edgecombe.

McCain’s injury news Thursday raises additional questions about the Sixers and restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, who averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 28 games (25 starts) after the Sixers acquired him at the trade deadline last season.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that two sides “are very far apart on a deal.”

Charania said Grimes’ agent told him that Wednesday was the first time the Sixers had made a “formal hard offer” to Grimes as a restricted free agent.

Grimes will not be attending Sixers media day Friday, nor will he be traveling with the team this weekend for preseason, Grimes’ agent reportedly told Charania.

“From the 76ers’ side of this all, getting V.J. Edgecombe in the high lottery, obviously that changes the dynamics of their backcourt,” Charania said. And there is a level of uncertainty going into this year health-wise with key players like Joel Embiid, Paul George and where does that leave the Sixers in terms of offering those high-value, high-multi-year deals.”

The entire Seattle Mariners roster lined the dugout, rapt with respect and admiration. Hitters and pitchers, rookies and veterans alike, engrossed in each and every word uttered by an all-time great.

The date was Aug. 9, and Ichiro Suzuki was having his No. 51 retired by the Mariners in an extravagant pregame ceremony just two weeks after the iconic outfielder was enshrined in Cooperstown. On a serene Saturday afternoon in Seattle, Suzuki ]

Over the next two years, Raleigh established himself as one of the best all-around catchers in the sport, continuing to lead backstops in home runs and earning the 2024 Platinum Glove Award as the best defender in the American League. In the days leading up to the 2025 season, Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a six-year, $105 million extension, signaling the organization’s belief in the switch-hitting catcher as a franchise pillar. In the news conference announcing the deal, Raleigh got visibly emotional while thanking his parents for the sacrifices they made to allow him to pursue his big-league dreams and their willingness to support him as he put down roots in a city thousands of miles away from their home in North Carolina.

Fast-forward six months, and Raleigh again got choked up while talking into a microphone about his family. But this time, his audience had grown exponentially. Raleigh stood on the field Wednesday after hitting his 59th and 60th home runs of the season in a 9-2 victory over Colorado to clinch the AL West title. A deafening roar of “MVP” chants interrupted his words as the catcher tried to convey what all of this has meant to him.

All summer, as Raleigh rewrote the record books, enhanced his national profile with a Home Run Derby title and powered Seattle to new heights, he humbly answered the same genre of question over and over. But only here, at this moment, did it appear to truly register with Raleigh what he and the Mariners had accomplished.

“I don’t know what to say,” Raleigh stammered, with parents Todd and Stephanie in the stands among a sea of their son’s biggest fans. “I’m so happy. I love this team. I love this city. I love my parents — thank you for being here.”

In reaching 60 home runs — with four regular-season games remaining to perhaps tie or pass Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 — Raleigh has ascended into a tier of greatness far beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations, including his own. But for all he has achieved individually, Raleigh made sure in that moment to redirect the focus back to the team he is leading into October.

“I think most people heard what I said last night,” Raleigh said in reference to his spontaneous rally cry during Tuesday’s celebration of the team clinching a postseason berth. “Might as well go win the whole f***ing thing.”

Raleigh’s explicit and entertaining sentiment will likely endure as a memorable moment from this week’s celebrations in Seattle. But it also speaks to a new standard that Raleigh has helped set. In 2022, the Mariners entered October with as much a sense of relief to have ended the drought as a realistic ambition to win it all. A dramatic series victory over Toronto in the wild-card round offered an enthralling glimpse of postseason success, but a decisive and devastating sweep in the ALDS at the hands of the rival Astros — who won the division by a whopping 16 games — provided a sobering reminder of how far the Mariners still had to climb to be taken seriously.

Things are different now. This year, it was the Astros — debilitated by injuries but still featuring a substantial amount of star-level talent and winning experience — who squandered a division lead, punctuated by getting swept at home by Seattle to all but seal their fate as runners-up. Meanwhile, in a wild season without a clear-cut favorite to reach the Fall Classic, particularly in the American League, Seattle has started firing on all cylinders at exactly the right time.

Having an MVP candidate in Raleigh has certainly helped, but this is far from a one-man show. Raleigh is one of nine holdovers from the 2022 team. There’s also dynamic center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who has once again caught fire in the second half and is on track to finish top-10 in AL MVP voting for the third time in his four major-league seasons. There’s shortstop J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured Mariner and the lone active player remaining from the 2019 team that lost 94 games. 

There’s third baseman Eugenio Suárez, the king of good vibes and a prolific slugger who was reunited with Seattle this summer after spending a year-and-a-half with the D-backs. Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash are still in place as headlining pieces of the bullpen. And in the rotation, there are homegrown stalwarts Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, plus a veteran staple in Luis Castillo, whose arrival via blockbuster trade at the 2022 deadline signaled the emphatic opening of Seattle’s competitive window.

Of course, the 2025 team has also been fueled by several newer names. Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller have joined the starting staff as the latest homegrown hurlers, with Woo in particular emerging as a bona fide frontline arm. 

Seattle’s front office, led by Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, has continued to be aggressive at the past two trade deadlines, dealing from a deep farm system to add proven performers such as Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor, who have helped supercharge a lineup that looked a lot feebler not all that long ago. There have been unexpected bounce-backs (Jorge Polanco), quiet breakouts (Dominic Canzone), unsung bullpen heroes (Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo), lovable role players (Victor Robles, Leo Rivas) and so many more who have made meaningful contributions.

All together, this is a club with legitimate championship aspirations backed by a roster that unquestionably looks the part of a World Series contender.

In many ways, the 2025 Mariners have already seized the moment, with a magical season punctuated by the franchise’s first division title in 24 years. But as the only franchise in Major League Baseball that has never even appeared in the World Series, the greatest opportunity — the one Ichiro so eloquently described in August — is still in front of them.

The entire Seattle Mariners roster lined the dugout, rapt with respect and admiration. Hitters and pitchers, rookies and veterans alike, engrossed in each and every word uttered by an all-time great.

The date was Aug. 9, and Ichiro Suzuki was having his No. 51 retired by the Mariners in an extravagant pregame ceremony just two weeks after the iconic outfielder was enshrined in Cooperstown. On a serene Saturday afternoon in Seattle, Suzuki ]

Over the next two years, Raleigh established himself as one of the best all-around catchers in the sport, continuing to lead backstops in home runs and earning the 2024 Platinum Glove Award as the best defender in the American League. In the days leading up to the 2025 season, Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a six-year, $105 million extension, signaling the organization’s belief in the switch-hitting catcher as a franchise pillar. In the news conference announcing the deal, Raleigh got visibly emotional while thanking his parents for the sacrifices they made to allow him to pursue his big-league dreams and their willingness to support him as he put down roots in a city thousands of miles away from their home in North Carolina.

Fast-forward six months, and Raleigh again got choked up while talking into a microphone about his family. But this time, his audience had grown exponentially. Raleigh stood on the field Wednesday after hitting his 59th and 60th home runs of the season in a 9-2 victory over Colorado to clinch the AL West title. A deafening roar of “MVP” chants interrupted his words as the catcher tried to convey what all of this has meant to him.

All summer, as Raleigh rewrote the record books, enhanced his national profile with a Home Run Derby title and powered Seattle to new heights, he humbly answered the same genre of question over and over. But only here, at this moment, did it appear to truly register with Raleigh what he and the Mariners had accomplished.

“I don’t know what to say,” Raleigh stammered, with parents Todd and Stephanie in the stands among a sea of their son’s biggest fans. “I’m so happy. I love this team. I love this city. I love my parents — thank you for being here.”

In reaching 60 home runs — with four regular-season games remaining to perhaps tie or pass Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 — Raleigh has ascended into a tier of greatness far beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations, including his own. But for all he has achieved individually, Raleigh made sure in that moment to redirect the focus back to the team he is leading into October.

“I think most people heard what I said last night,” Raleigh said in reference to his spontaneous rally cry during Tuesday’s celebration of the team clinching a postseason berth. “Might as well go win the whole f***ing thing.”

Raleigh’s explicit and entertaining sentiment will likely endure as a memorable moment from this week’s celebrations in Seattle. But it also speaks to a new standard that Raleigh has helped set. In 2022, the Mariners entered October with as much a sense of relief to have ended the drought as a realistic ambition to win it all. A dramatic series victory over Toronto in the wild-card round offered an enthralling glimpse of postseason success, but a decisive and devastating sweep in the ALDS at the hands of the rival Astros — who won the division by a whopping 16 games — provided a sobering reminder of how far the Mariners still had to climb to be taken seriously.

Things are different now. This year, it was the Astros — debilitated by injuries but still featuring a substantial amount of star-level talent and winning experience — who squandered a division lead, punctuated by getting swept at home by Seattle to all but seal their fate as runners-up. Meanwhile, in a wild season without a clear-cut favorite to reach the Fall Classic, particularly in the American League, Seattle has started firing on all cylinders at exactly the right time.

Having an MVP candidate in Raleigh has certainly helped, but this is far from a one-man show. Raleigh is one of nine holdovers from the 2022 team. There’s also dynamic center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who has once again caught fire in the second half and is on track to finish top-10 in AL MVP voting for the third time in his four major-league seasons. There’s shortstop J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured Mariner and the lone active player remaining from the 2019 team that lost 94 games. 

There’s third baseman Eugenio Suárez, the king of good vibes and a prolific slugger who was reunited with Seattle this summer after spending a year-and-a-half with the D-backs. Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash are still in place as headlining pieces of the bullpen. And in the rotation, there are homegrown stalwarts Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, plus a veteran staple in Luis Castillo, whose arrival via blockbuster trade at the 2022 deadline signaled the emphatic opening of Seattle’s competitive window.

Of course, the 2025 team has also been fueled by several newer names. Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller have joined the starting staff as the latest homegrown hurlers, with Woo in particular emerging as a bona fide frontline arm. 

Seattle’s front office, led by Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, has continued to be aggressive at the past two trade deadlines, dealing from a deep farm system to add proven performers such as Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor, who have helped supercharge a lineup that looked a lot feebler not all that long ago. There have been unexpected bounce-backs (Jorge Polanco), quiet breakouts (Dominic Canzone), unsung bullpen heroes (Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo), lovable role players (Victor Robles, Leo Rivas) and so many more who have made meaningful contributions.

All together, this is a club with legitimate championship aspirations backed by a roster that unquestionably looks the part of a World Series contender.

In many ways, the 2025 Mariners have already seized the moment, with a magical season punctuated by the franchise’s first division title in 24 years. But as the only franchise in Major League Baseball that has never even appeared in the World Series, the greatest opportunity — the one Ichiro so eloquently described in August — is still in front of them.