Ozuna scales wall, takes away home run
MIAMI -- Ever since the left-field fence at Marlins Park was lowered from 11 1/2 to 7 feet in 2016, Marcell Ozuna's footprints have been all over it.In the sixth inning of Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, the Marlins' outfielder robbed a home run from Enrique Hernandez in one
MIAMI -- Ever since the left-field fence at Marlins Park was lowered from 11 1/2 to 7 feet in 2016,
In the sixth inning of Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, the Marlins' outfielder robbed a home run from
"I just said, 'OK, this is a chance to make a good play,'" said Ozuna, who joked it was a routine play. "And it was right there. Not too far."
Per Statcast™, the ball traveled an estimated 369 feet with an exit velocity of 95 mph before Ozuna snagged it out of the air.
Ozuna, a two-time All-Star, is starting to make a habit of climbing the fence to steal extra-base hits.
His play on Sunday was similar to one he made in a 4-2 win over the Mets this April. In similar fashion, Ozuna hung onto the wall to rob
"That one he just kind of misplayed a little bit from the standpoint of it wasn't gonna go over," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "But that one was obviously a really nice play."
Ozuna wasn't the only Miami outfielder flashing the leather on Sunday.
In the fifth,
"You've gotta love outfielders that are willing to do that," Marlins starter
In some parks, Hernandez's 369-foot poke to left field is good enough to earn a trip around the bases. But at spacious Marlins Park, where the dimensions are 344 feet down the line and 386 feet in left-center, that isn't the case.
And it most certainly won't happen while Ozuna is patrolling the area.
"Yeah, I love it," Ozuna said. "Clinging to the fence."
Patrick Pinak is a reporter for MLB.com based in Miami.