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Pat McAfee took Cal Raleigh’s nickname to another stratosphere.
Known affectionately as “Big Dumper” because of his rather large rear end, Raleigh’s comedic nickname turned into a whole lot more when McAfee introduced the Mariners catcher for the Home Run Derby.
“Hailing from Cullowhee, North Carolina, a man who’s doing something that no catcher has ever done in the history of the sport,” McAfee led Raleigh’s intro. “With the fattest ass in all of professional sports … Ladies and gentlemen: Big Dumper! Cal Raleigh!”
The All-Star catcher has embraced his nickname, but that type of introduction in front of the fans in Atlanta and the national television audience viewing the derby at home was certainly a first.
While it was shocking to hear McAfee’s comments, Raleigh recently appeared on Pat McAfee’s self-titled ESPN show and discussed his nickname, so perhaps the rapport to say such a thing was built beforehand.
Raleigh’s posterior certainly isn’t hurting him, as Big Dumper currently leads all of baseball in home runs with 38 through the All-Star break.
He also posts a .259 batting average, an OPS of 1.010 and an MLB-leading 82 RBIs.
Like his play, Raleigh’s nickname has gone nuclear, as jerseys are even sold at the Mariners’ stadium with Big Dumper on the back.
“In the stadium, you see more ‘Big Dumper’ jerseys than you do Raleigh jerseys,” Raleigh told GQ Sports. “I think they were getting a lot of requests, so they just sell them on the rack now. Apparently they sold out. Someone brought a jersey for me to sign the other day and they said all the adult sizes were out.”
Big Dumper also received quite the segment from YES Network during Seattle’s recent series against the Yankees, where the game broadcast could not keep its camera shots off of the “fattest ass in all of professional sports.”
English (US)