ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 Cal Raleigh approached the All-Star Home Run Derby like a day on the lawn. Dad was on the mound and baby brother was behind the plate.
Only this time, there were tens of thousands looking on at Truist Park and a $1 million prize.
鈥淚t goes all the way back to him coming home and me forcing him to throw me a ball and hit it in the backyard or in the house or something we probably shouldn鈥檛 be doing,鈥 a beaming Cal said, flanked by Todd and Todd Jr. after defeating Tampa Bay鈥檚 Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.
Todd Raleigh, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina, threw the pitches and Cal's 15-year-old brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching. A first-time All-Star at age 28, Cal became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He's the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr., who was on the field snapping photos.
鈥淎nybody that鈥檚 ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this,鈥 Cal's dad said. 鈥淚 dreamed of it. He dreamed of it. When you鈥檙e a parent, you look at it differently because you want your kids to be happy.鈥
Leading the major leagues with 38 home runs at the All-Star break, Cal almost didn't make it past the first round. The Mariners' breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper and the Athletics' Brent Rooker each hit 17 homers, and Raleigh advanced on a tiebreaker for longest long ball: 470.61 feet to 470.53 鈥 or 0.96 inches. At first, Cal wasn't aware whether there would be a swing-off.
鈥淎n inch off, and I鈥檓 not even in the final four, which is amazing,鈥 Cal said. 鈥淪o I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.鈥
Raleigh totalled 54 homers. He won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh鈥檚 Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over the right-centre field seats was the longest of the night.
Cal's brother, nicknamed T, kept yelling encouragement to the brother he so admires.
鈥淗is swag, the way he plays, the way he hustles,鈥 T said.
Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers 鈥 MLB counted one that a fan outfielder caught with an over-the-wall grab. Using a multicoloured bat and down to his last out, Caminero took three pitches and hit a liner to left.
鈥淚 didn't think I was going to hit as many home runs or make it to the finals,鈥 Caminero said through a translator.
Cal was just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore鈥檚 Adley Rutschman in 2023. His dad was a righty and wanted both his sons to hit from both sides.
鈥淒id it from the first day, when he was in diapers, literally,鈥 Todd Sr. said. 鈥淚 would take that big ball and he had a big red bat. I鈥檇 throw it slow and he鈥檇 hit it. Then I鈥檇 say stay there, pick him up, turn him around, switch his hands and do it again. I was a catcher. I played a little bit, and I just knew what a premium it was. I didn鈥檛 want either one of my boys to ever say, am I right-handed or left-handed?鈥
There was a downside.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 recommend it if you have two kids, they鈥檙e both switch hitters, if you want to save your arm, because that鈥檚 a lot of throwing,鈥 said dad, who had rotator cuff surgery.
Raleigh hit his first eight homers left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the rest of the night.
鈥淲as grooving a little bit more lefty so we were like, since we have a chance to win, we might as well stick to the side that鈥檚 working a little better,鈥 Cal said.
Caminero beat Minnesota's Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal. Atlanta鈥檚 Matt Olson, Washington鈥檚 James Wood, the New York Yankees鈥 Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.
Cruz鈥檚 long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 miles per hour.
Wood hit 16 homers, including 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, Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.
After it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys' mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
鈥淲e kind of leave it in the cage. We鈥檝e got a cage at home, a building," Todd Sr. said. 鈥淥r we leave it in the car on the rides home. There鈥檚 probably been a few times where she says, yeah, that鈥檚 enough.鈥
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