By Ronald BlumThe Related Press
ATLANTA — Seattle’s Cal Raleigh gained his first All-Star Residence Run Derby after main the large leagues in lengthy balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 within the last spherical Monday night time.
The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed Large Dumper superior from the primary spherical on a tiebreaker by lower than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then gained his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center discipline seats was the longest of the night time.
Hitting second within the last spherical, the 22-year-old Caminero closed inside three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left discipline.
Turning into the primary switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a significant league-leading 38 dwelling runs. He turned the second Mariners participant to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.
“Usually the guy that’s leading the league in homers doesn’t win the whole thing,” Raleigh stated. “That’s as surprising to me as anybody else.”
Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His youthful brother Todd Raleigh Jr. did the catching.
“Just to do it with my family was awesome,” Raleigh stated.
Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, watches together with his dad Todd who pitched and brother Todd Jr. catcher through the MLB baseball All-Star Residence Run Derby, Monday, July 14, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photograph/Brynn Anderson)
Simply the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going again to lefty, he then hit two extra within the bonus spherical and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the ultimate.
Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 within the different semifinal.
Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wooden, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker had been eradicated within the first spherical of the annual energy present.
Cruz and Caminero every hit 21 lengthy balls and Buxton had 20 within the opening spherical. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, however Raleigh superior on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 toes to 470.53.
“One little tweak in the system and I’m not even in the next round, so that’s crazy,” Raleigh stated.
Cruz’s lengthy drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.
The longest derby homer since Statcast began monitoring in 2016 was 520 toes by Juan Soto within the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Discipline in 2021. Final yr, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 toes by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.
Wooden hit 16 homers, together with a 486-foot shot and one which landed on the roof of the Chop Home behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown followers, didn’t go deep on his first 9 swings and completed with 15, He additionally was eradicated within the first spherical in 2021.
Chisholm hit simply three homers, the fewest for the reason that timer format began in 2015.
Initially Printed: July 14, 2025 at 8:13 PM PDT
