Catching fly balls at the Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is all about sluggers, of course. But on Monday night some Seattle baseball fans made leaping catches in the outfield as homers rained from the sky.
On most nights, the best seats in the ballpark are behind home plate with a clear view of the whole field.
Not on Monday night.
The place to be during the home run derby in Seattle was deep in the outfield, especially if you brought a catcher’s mitt.
As eight of baseball’s biggest hitters drove homer after homer out of the ballpark, fans in the outfield seats were showered in home-run balls.
“Typically there's like no chance of balls reaching here but these guys are putting on a show and we're excited to get to reach one hopefully,” said Ben Kaufman sitting in the left-field bleachers.
Kaufman waved a large sign with a target on it for the players, hoping to draw their aim.
Early in the derby he said he was in the right spot as balls were headed his way.
“Just in the front row right below us,” Kaufman pointed. “Oh man, another 20 feet or so and we got it. I think we're coming.”
Patrick O’Neal had no trouble snagging homers just beyond center field. The 23-year-old from Queen Anne didn’t just snag one ball.
“I caught two, and I got one off the ground,” O’Neal smiled while holding the three balls in one hand.
Not bad for his first Home Run Derby.
“It is awesome,” he said. “It's awesome. Nothing like it.”
O’Neal was packed into an area called "The 'Pen" close to the ballpark’s bullpens. When batters got into a rhythm of home runs, the entire 'Pen crowd would leap up together, dozens of baseball gloves extended to the sky.
All told, the eight batters launched more than 300 home-run balls into Seattle’s stands in just a few hours.
Sixty-one of those homers came off the bat of Mariner Julio Rodriguez. In the first round, Rodriguez dazzled the sell-out crowd with an explosive performance, racking up 41 dingers.
That set a new derby record for the most homers in one round.
In his second plate appearance, Rodriguez ran out of steam and was eliminated by Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero Jr., who would go on to win the contest.
Rodriguez will be back on the field Tuesday night for the All-Star Game.
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Casey Martin
Reporter
Casey Martin is a general assignment reporter who has covered everything from political protests to electric scooters. He is almost always out in the field where the news happens. Casey has reported on extremism, houselessness, politics and Seattle’s nightlife.
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