It was only fitting when Cal Raleigh catapulted the Seattle Mariners to their first AL West championship in 24 years on Wednesday.

Now, with the postseason locked in, the only major accolade left on the table for Raleigh is the AL MVP. The primary obstacle? Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. While Judge remains the favorite, MLB Network’s Yonder Alonso made a compelling case for Raleigh’s value.

Raleigh isn’t Judge or Mark McGwire. He’s a catcher, carrying the daily workload of one of baseball’s most demanding positions. The physical toll is obvious. With October baseball secured, Seattle must weigh whether chasing a record this weekend against the Dodgers is worth risking fatigue or injury.

A fan caught Cal Raleigh's history-making 60th home run ball. He promptly turned the valuable memento over to 12-year-old Marcus Ruelos.

Aaron Judge didn't have even one MVP at this time in 2022, so the likelihood that he could have three by the end of this year is a remarkable feat by a remarkable player.

The Seattle Mariners are toasting history, and Mariners’ catcher Cal Raleigh’s girlfriend, Hannah Shimek, is celebrating right along with him. Raleigh, 27, became the first catcher in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a single season on Wednesday,

After clinching a postseason berth Tuesday, the Mariners captured their first American League West title since 2001 with a 9-2 victory against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Wednesday as Cal Raleigh led a power surge with two home runs, giving him a major league-leading 60 this season.

The Seattle Mariners have won the AL West for the first time in a long time. Now, Cal Raleigh has a very simple message for the fans.