Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has dedicated to enjoying for the USA within the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it was introduced Monday.
Raleigh has an American League-record 38 homers earlier than the All-Star Recreation this season — one shy of Barry Bonds’ 2001 main league file for homers earlier than the break. He additionally joined Babe Ruth (1921), Reggie Jackson (1969) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) as gamers with at the very least 38 homers and 10 stolen bases of their group’s first 96 video games.
Welcome to Staff USA, Cal Raleigh!
The present MLB residence run chief has introduced that he’ll play for Staff USA within the 2026 World Baseball Basic 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/RXb1okOmO0
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) July 14, 2025
The Mariners’ slugger joins Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes as gamers who’ve dedicated to Staff USA supervisor Mark DeRosa to date.
Raleigh stated he was method by DeRosa within the final week.
“It was a no brainer, proper? I feel I stated sure earlier than he obtained the query out of his mouth,” Raleigh advised ESPN on the All-Star Recreation media day availability on Monday. “I all the time stated if it was ever on the desk, I’d take it in a heartbeat.”
Along with his 38 residence runs, Raleigh has 82 RBIs and an 1.011 OPS in simply 94 video games this season. He is threatening to interrupt Mickey Mantle’s single-season residence run file for a switch-hitter (54) and Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise single-season residence run file (56).
The group can be managed DeRosa, a former main leaguer, for the second consecutive match. Staff USA misplaced to Japan within the championship sport in 2023 as Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to finish the sport.
“Watching in 2023, it was such a deal with for everyone,” Raleigh stated. “The entire world was tuning in, watching that Trout/Ohtani at-bat was one thing particular. It was so good for the sport of baseball. You need to win to your nation, however for the baseball world, it is a win.”
The World Baseball Basic will run March 5-17, 2026. Video games will happen in Houston, Miami, Tokyo and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the semifinals and championship sport in Miami.
The U.S. can be with Britain, Brazil, Italy and Mexico in Group B of the primary spherical at Houston’s Minute Maid Park from March 6-11.
Staff USA final gained the World Baseball Basic in 2017.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Related Press contributed to this report.