SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh busted out of a seasonlong slump with the first three-homer game of his career Monday night.
The Seattle Mariners switch-hitting catcher capped a five-run first inning with a two-run shot off struggling Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. Raleigh added a leadoff homer against Wheeler in the fifth and a solo drive off reliever Chase Shugart in the seventh to give him 17 home runs this season.
It was the first multihomer game of the year for Raleigh, who finished 3-for-3 with a walk in a 9-2 victory and raised his batting average from .159 to .167. He began the night with a strikeout rate of 31.2%.
Raleigh pulled all three homers into the right-field seats from the left side of the plate, becoming the 13th player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a game. The previous one was teammate Dominic Canzone on Sept. 16 last year.
The only other Seattle catcher to accomplish the feat was current Mariners manager Dan Wilson in April 1996.
Raleigh was runner-up for the AL MVP award last year, when he led the majors with 60 home runs and had 125 RBIs.