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SEATTLE – League-leading Shohei Ohtani’s 33rd home run of the season on Friday night placed him in rare company in Seattle Mariners home baseball history.
Ohtani’s solo shot in the third inning against Marco Gonzales climbed into the upper deck of right field at T-Mobile Park. The two-way Angels phenomenon is the sixth player to reach the upper deck of the right-field seats since the stadium opened in 1999, according to the Mariners.
MLB’s Statcast projected the circuit at 463 feet.
Ohtani’s explosion left a buzz around the stadium and caused a few fans sitting alone in that section of the stadium to duck down as the ball neared. It landed above the fifth row of seats before hitting a concrete wall and ricocheting 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 when he landed on the upper deck.
The Homer is Ohtani’s 16th in the last 21 games, making him the seventh player in MLB history to hit so many in 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 track for 61 this season.
Others to have reached the top deck of 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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