That other guy

 Aaron Judge mashed his 29th and 30th home runs of the season yesterday, as the New York Yankees swatted the hopeless Oakland/Sacramento/Hooterville A's 12-2. 

Now, I don't know if 30 bombs by the Fourth of July is the same as corn being knee-high by the Fourth of July, but I do know Judge is breathing rarified air these days. The two-homer day was the 44th of his career, moving him into third on the Yankees' alltime list ahead of Lou Gehrig. Just ahead sits Mickey Mantle with 46 two-homer days; way, waaaay ahead is (of course) Babe Ruth, who hit two homers in a game a ridiculous 68 times.

The Blob can't add two plus two and come up with four more than about half the time, but by my calculation 30 home runs in his first 83 games means Judge is working on a 59-homer season. This is significant, but not half as significant as this: Even at his currently robust clip, Judge does not lead the American League in round-trippers.

No, sir. That honor belongs to Caleb John Raleigh, who goes by "Cal." And is a 28-year-old catcher for the Seattle Mariners who, until this summer, had made his mark in the bigs not as a big bopper but as a big stopper.

Won a Gold Glove last season, Cal did. Even won the AL Platinum Glove Award as the best defensive player in the league.

So far this season, though, with the Fourth still four days off, he's given 32 baseballs the long ride. The Mariners have 79 games left, same as the Yankees. This means Cal Raleigh is working on a 62-homer season.

And if at this point you're asking, "Who the hell is this guy?", there are several answers. One, for sure, would be "That other guy," as in, "That other guy who's not Aaron Judge."

Beyond that?

Well, let's start with the fact Cal Raleigh hails from Cullowhee, N.C., and he played his high school ball at Smoky Mountain High School in nearby Sylva. Went on to star at Florida State. Played for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League one summer. Arrived in the Show in 2021, and, before last weekend's games, he had a career batting average of .227 with 125 homers and 320 RBI.

Last season he batted just .220, with a slugging percentage of .489. But he hit 34 homers and drove in 100 runs, both of which were career highs.

This season?

Thirty-two dingers, as noted. Also 69 RBI. Also a .275 average and a .643 slugging percentage.

Oh, yeah. And one other tidbit about Cal Raleigh: According to Wikipedia, his nickname is "The Big Dumper." Which doesn't sound entirely complimentary, but what do I know?

Besides more about Cal Raleigh than I did before this morning, that is.