"Playoff home runs don't count" - Fans not convinced as Cal Raleigh’s 65th homer passes Aaron Judge for AL record

Seattle Mariners fell short despite superstar Cal Raleigh scaling new heights, becoming the first player in American League history to hit 65 home runs in a year, regular season and postseason combined, snatching the record from Yankees captain Aaron Judge, who had 64 homers three years back.

Raleigh went yard in the top of the fifth inning, which gave his team a 3-1 lead. He took Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland's 0-1 pitch, deep into the right field, landing in the Mariners bullpen.

After his hit, fans started clamoring on X, disregarding Raleigh's record with the postseason homer tally. Here are a few reactions:

"Playoff home runs don’t count," a fan said. "Since when do postseason home runs count," another fan said. "Judge hit a homerun in 2022 spring training, raleigh hit 0 home runs in spring training, guess they are tied at 65," a fan pointed out. "Yankees suck but postseason HRs never counted towards the regular season ever," another fan noted. "How is this becoming a thing? I understand the post and how you’re talking about the total but it’s weird that we’re starting that now," a fan added. "No one said this stat when Judge did it btw," a fan stated.

Raleigh had set numerous records on his way to 60 home runs in the regular season as the Mariners' catcher and switch-hitter. He became the fourth player in the history of the American League to reach the mark, behind Yankees legends Babe Ruth (60, 1927), Roger Maris (61, 1961), and, most recently, Aaron Judge (62, 2022).

His home run in the ALCS was his 5th of the postseason. Ruth had hit 2 postseason homers in the 1927 Fall Classic, the only playoff series at the time. Maris had one home run in the five World Series games in 1961. Aaron Judge had hit two dingers in the AL Division Series in 2022, before blanking out in the AL Championship Series.

Cal Raleigh heartbroken after tough loss to Blue Jays

George Springer's three-run home run in the seventh innings turned the tide in Toronto's favor as they won 4-3. After the game, a teary-eyed Cal Raleigh acknowledged Seattle falling short of their goal to reporters.

“I hate to use the word failure, but’s it’s a failure," Raleigh said via Fox Sports. "We expected to get to the World Series and win the World Series... it hurts.”

Seattle remains the only major league franchise without a World Series appearance. Raleigh and the M's would hope to pick themselves up and try again next year.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy