Mariners fan who gave away Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball to child gets to meet the slugger

SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run put the Mariners’ All-Star catcher into one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball. It also made for a memorable moment in the outfield stands at T-Mobile Park.

During Wednesday night’s 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies, which gave Seattle its first AL West title in 24 years, the fan who caught Raleigh’s 60th home run ball gave it away to a boy in the right-field seats.

Team security workers led the child and his father away to have the ball authenticated. The Mariners said the boy traded the ball for a bat signed by Raleigh and an invitation to watch batting practice on the field.

The Mariners also connected with the man who gave the ball away, and he and his family met with Raleigh before Thursday night’s game. Earlier in the day, Mariners senior manager of communications Adam Gresch made a plea on social media for anyone who knows “this incredible fan” to send him a direct message.

The man — identified by his first name, Glenn — got a signed bat and two baseballs from Raleigh, and he gave the balls to his kids, Gresch wrote in a follow-up post.

Raleigh is one of seven players in major league history to reach 60 home runs in a season, joining Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998 and ’99), Sammy Sosa (1998, ’99, 2001), Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022).

With four games remaining, Raleigh has a chance to pass Judge for the American League record. Judge hit 62 homers in 2022 to break the previous AL mark of 61 set by Maris.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB