The race for the homers just got heated up. Cal Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners’ powerful catcher, just hit his 32nd home run last night against the Twins. Not only did he help his team win by 11-2, but he also went straight to the top of homers list. But did he throw a shade at Aaron Judge after that?

Cal Raleigh is making an impact this season and is in contention for the MVP. With fans still voting for the All-Star selections, Raleigh is in second place in AL voting with over 1.9 million votes. Recently, rumors surfaced that Raleigh took a jab at Aaron Judge, but the truth is not what many think.

After his homer against the Twins, a screenshot of a statement by Cal Raleigh on Judge went viral. It was shared by Talkin’ Basabell. And it quoted Raleigh as saying, “Thirty‑one homers hits different when you’re doing it at T‑Mobile—it’s not the Bronx. I’m impacting the game on both sides, and yeah, I think that deserves MVP talk.”

Since then, Raleigh has been facing a lot of criticism. But the twist is it’s all FAKE! Raleigh never said that. The statement came from “Talkin’ Basabell,” a well-known parody account of Talkin’ Baseball. Even though it looked so real at first glance, the whole thing was made up. So, how did it get so much attention?

Cal Raleigh is having a standout year, hitting .480/.536/1.143 over the past six games since June 17, with six home runs and 14 RBIs. He is redefining what a catcher can achieve offensively. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge remains a powerhouse for the Yankees with 28 home runs. Also, T-Mobile Park is a little difficult when it comes to hitting compared to Yankee Stadium.

In addition, social media has always been interested in drama, and this one fits perfectly. Screenshots of the false quote, with a bold typeface and a picture of a player, made it look real. Even hardcore fans don’t always examine the source.

The post might be fake, but hey Cal Raleigh is setting the stage ablaze this season. There’s no denying that.

Cal Raleigh is powering the Mariners’ June surge

Cal Raleigh has led Seattle’s offense this season. On June 17, he hit a grand slam and drove in six runs in an 8–0 win over Boston, ending their six-game winning streak.

And against Chicago, Raleigh hit two home runs, extending his season total to 29 and shattering Johnny Bench’s pre-All-Star catcher record. He slugged, singled, walked, and scored four runs to help Seattle win two of three games over the weekend.

Seattle Mariners standout pitcher Logan Gilbert remarked, “I think a lot of people don’t want to pitch to him…” “it seems like he’s doing it in every game too,” after Raleigh hit his 31st home run on June 22. Raleigh drove in two runs and had another home run at Wrigley that night

Raleigh was chosen AL Co-Player of the Week for the first week of June for his month-long improvement. His .348 average, six home runs, 10 RBIs, and 1.575 OPS were impressive that week.

This is the first time a Mariners catcher has hit 20+ home runs before June. As summer progresses, the Mariners’ offense can rely on his hitting even more.