Mike Napoli has 185 career home runs, including 10 at Rogers Centre, so he has completed more than his share of home run trots over the years.
But on Tuesday he did something he’d never done before. In fact, he did something no player had done in a decade — he reached the fifth deck at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
Before Napoli’s blast off of Toronto Blue Jays reliever Sergio Santos, Vernon Wells’ 2004 home run was the most recent ball to reach the fifth level. Napoli became the second Red Sox player to reach the fifth deck, joining fellow slugger Manny Ramirez.
Of course that wasn’t the only oddity from the extra-innings Blue Jays’ loss, as utility infielder Steve Tolleson entered the game as a pitcher once the game was out of reach for Toronto.