Ryan Raburn made a little bit of bizarre history tonight -- he became the first player in Safeco Field's 12 year history to hit a ball off of the retractable roof.
In the first inning, Raburn popped a Jason Vargas pitch high into foul territory along the third base side. Mariners C Miguel Olivo and 3B Chone Figgins went after it, and it looked like they might have a play on it, but the ball took a different route as it fell to the ground in between them.
At first, I thought the (nonexistent?) wind might have been playing tricks on the ball, but almost immediately after it hit the turf, Tigers play-by-play man Mario Impemba announced he was just informed it was the first ball to ever hit the roof at Safeco Field.
According to Steve Kornacki, the ball traveled about 175 feet above the field and hit one of the trusses that support the umbrella. Raburn then hit the ball exactly zero feet, as he struck out to finish his at bat.
Other Safeco Field Firsts:
- Hit: Jeff Culpepper (HS)
- Home Run: Russ Davis
- Grand Slam: Raul Ibanez
- Concert: The Beach Boys