
By Mallory Mattingly
Seattle Mariners superstar Cal Raleigh dreamed of playing in the Home Run Derby since he was just 8 years old. On July 14, his dream came true.
Not only did Raleigh participate, but he also won the derby, becoming the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby since 1985. Raleigh secured the win alongside his father, who pitched to him, and his younger brother catching for him behind the plate.
“It means the world,” Raleigh told ESPN after the incredible win. “I could hit zero home runs, and I would’ve had just as much fun. It’s unbelievable.”
An old home video captures 8-year-old Raleigh predicting he would eventually win the tournament.
“I’m the Home Run Derby champ!” the catcher said in the clip of him as a young boy.
“Got to live out every kid’s dream alongside the people that helped get me here,” he added in the caption.
“I mean, I don’t know where they found that thing in the archives. Yeah, just kind of surreal,” Raleigh told MLB.com of the video. “You don’t think you’re going to win it. You don’t think you’ll ever get invited. Then you get invited. The fact that you win it with your family, super special. Just what a night.”
At the press conference after the derby, Raleigh’s father told reporters, “To do it as a family has been really special. I don’t know why that we’ve been blessed like this. God is great. I can’t put it in words.
“This derby was huge when we heard about it, but when it involved the family, the complexion of it changed,” he added. “It was all a family thing, and I felt like, ‘You know what, if he doesn’t hit any home runs, we’re still going to be good.'”
According to TODAY, Raleigh hit “a total of 54 dingers across three rounds of the competition to become the first Seattle player to win the Home Run Derby since Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999. Griffey Jr. was in attendance to congratulate Raleigh.”
In addition to his All-Star appearance, the athlete will also serve as the catcher for Team USA for the World Baseball Classic next year.
What an incredible moment for Raleigh to live out his childhood dreams alongside his dad and brother.
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