Cal Raleigh will participate in the Home Run Derby with his father as the pitcher

SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners star catcher, Cal Raleigh, confirmed this Friday his participation in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby 2025, which will be held on the next July 14 at Truist Park in Atlanta, as part of the Major League All-Star Game.

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Raleigh, who leads the Majors with 32 home runs, becomes the second confirmed player for the most anticipated power event of the summer, along with the Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr., who will be the local representative of the Atlanta Braves. In addition to the talent he will bring to the field, Raleigh will add an emotional component: his father, Todd Raleigh, will be the one to pitch to him during the competition, and his younger brother, Todd Jr., 15 years old, will be behind the plate receiving the pitches. “It will be a movie moment. Being able to experience this as a family is something I will never forget,” expressed Todd Sr. The player, originally from North Carolina and trained in the Atlanta metropolitan area, noted that participating in this scenario is “closing a circle.” Raleigh also hinted that he could bat from both sides of the plate during the Derby, something that only Adley Rutschman has done previously in the 2023 edition. With his impressive first half of the season, Raleigh has set historical records for catchers and switch-hitters before the All-Star break, and is shaping up as one of the main candidates for the American League Most Valuable Player. Raleigh will be the eighth Mariners player to participate in the Derby, following in the footsteps of legends like Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martínez, Alex Rodríguez, and Julio Rodríguez. Griffey remains the only one of the group to have achieved the feat of winning the event, and Raleigh hopes to become the first catcher to win it in history. The event, which promises a unique mix of excitement, power, and family nostalgia, will be a central part of the All-Star Game Week, culminating on July 15 with the Midseason Classic at the same Truist Park.