SEATTLE – League-leading Shohei Ohtani’s 33rd home run of the season placed him Friday night in a rare company in the history of the Seattle Mariners’ home stadium.
Ohtani’s lone drive in the third inning off Marco Gonzales reached all the way to the top of right field at T-Mobile Park. The Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom is the sixth player to hit a home run to the upper right-field seats since the stadium opened in 1999, according to the Mariners.
MLB’s Statcast homered at 463 feet.
Ohtani’s hitting shot left a buzz in the stadium and caused a couple of fans sitting alone in that section of the stadium to duck as the ball approached. It landed above the fifth row of seats before hitting a concrete wall and bouncing down to the lower levels.
The Angels dugout erupted in excitement and disbelief after Ohtani’s left-handed swing. Justin Upton put his hands on his head in shock as the ball landed on top.
The home run is Ohtani’s 16th in the past 21 games, making him the seventh player in MLB history to hit points in a span of 21 games in a single season. He joins Barry Bonds, Giancarlo Stanton, JD Martinez, Kyle Schwarber, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa.
Ohtani is also the first player since Albert Pujols in 2006 to hit 33 or more home runs in his first 82 games of a season. He’s on his way to 61 this season.
The others who have made it to the top floor at T-Mobile Park are Joey Gallo (2020), Daniel Vogelbach (2019), Nomar Mazara (2019), Carlos Delgado (2001) and Mo Vaughn (1999).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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