Cal Raleigh ties Mickey Mantle with a historic 36th home run before August. The Mariners catcher leads MLB in homers.

A new challenger has entered the competition for the home run crown this season. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is suddenly in the spotlight. He leads the league with 36 home runs just before

Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to the Home Run Derby that also includes Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

Tuesday wasn't the Mariners' evening, as the team lost 10–3 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx. However, Raleigh made history by crushing his 36th home run of the year. That gave him Seattle's all-time record for home runs before the All-Star break—a mark previously held by Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz announced his entry into the Derby on Tuesday, joining Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton and Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood.

Heading into this season, Cal Raleigh was already a proven commodity at the catching position. When you pair his defensive prowess with roughly a mid-700s OPS, he was not only a great catcher, but arguably baseball’s best.

He also has a distinctive nickname, "Big Dumper," which YES Network's Michael Kay had to tell the viewers about during Tuesday's broadcast. With Raleigh reaching first on a fielder's choice in the top of the first inning, Kay explained the situation in detail to Paul O'Neil while the production team got a good look at the subject of the discussion.