Shohei Ohtani reaches upper deck in Seattle with 33rd homer

SEATTLE (AP) – Shohei Ohtani’s 33rd home run of the season on Friday evening brought him into rare company in the history of the Seattle Mariners’ home stadium.

Ohtani’s third inning solo shot by Marco Gonzales shot into the upper deck of right field at T-Mobile Park. The Angels’ two-way phenomenon is the sixth player to reach the top deck of the right field seats since the stadium opened in 1999. MLB’s statcast projected the homer at 463 feet.

Ohtani’s explosion left a buzz in the ballpark and caused a few fans, sitting alone in that section of the stadium, to duck as the ball got closer. It landed over the fifth row of seats, hit a concrete wall, and bounced back into the lower levels.

The Angels’ dugout erupted in excitement and disbelief after Ohtani waved his left hand. Justin Upton put his hands on his head in shock as he landed on the upper deck.

Ohtani becomes the first player since Albert Pujols in 2006 to hit 33 or more homers in his first 82 games of a season. He’s on his way for 61.

The others who have reached the upper deck of T-Mobile Park are Joey Gallo (2020), Daniel Vogelbach (2019), Nomar Mazara (2019), Carlos Delgado (2001) and Mo Vaughn (1999).

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