THIS DAY IN BEISBOL September 27: Javy Lopez breaks season record for HR as a catcher
Cal Raleigh’s historic 2025 season — 60 home runs and counting, only the seventh player to reach that hallowed milestone — would be phenomenal even without the Mariners slugger being a full-time catcher for a playoff-caliber team.
But within Raleigh’s remarkable performance is his breaking the record for most homers in a season by a player in the lineup as a backstop.
That was last set on this day in beisbol, September 27, 2003 by Braves catcher Javy Lopez, who hit his 42nd round-tripper in a game against the Phillies.
That broke the record set in 1996 by Mets backstop Todd Hundley, who hit all of his 41 dingers that year while working behind the plate.
Lopez, who hit a homer ’03 as a pinch hitter, wound up with a total of 43. (Raleigh has hit 49 of his 60 dingers as a catcher).
In 2021, Salvador Perez of the Royals slugged 48 homers, 33 of them while in the lineup as a catcher.
Also on this day: In 1960, Pancho Herrera struck out for the 135th time in a season, setting a National League record. Born in Cuba, the Phillies infielder only played three seasons in the majors (1958, 1960, and 1961) and hit .271 lifetime.
Herrera’s dubious record has since been broken several times. The all-time whiff champion in a season is Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who struck out 223 times in 2009.
