Seattle's Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the MLB season to help the Mariners win at Houston and break the team record for homers in a season he shared with Ken Griffey Jr.

Houston (AFP) - Cal Raleigh smashed his 57th home run of the year to break the Seattle Mariners record for homers in a season in a 6-4 victory at Houston on Saturday.

The 28-year-old American broke the club mark he shared with Ken Griffey Jr., adding to a historic season in which he has captured Major League Baseball season homer records for catchers and switch-hitters.

Griffey hit 56 homers in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons for Seattle.

Raleigh, this year’s MLB homer leader, smacked a no-ball, two-strike offering from Astros pitcher Framber Valdez in the third inning and blast the ball over the right-centerfield wall.

The triumph lifted the Mariners, who have reached the playoffs only once since 2001, to 86-69 and boosted their lead over Houston in the American League West division to two games.

Raleigh could threaten the American League record for homers in a season, the 62 by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in 2022.