Last week, we chronicled the journey of former Mariner prospect Wladimir Balentien, who's found himself in Japan after flaming out of the majors. The Japanese record for home runs in a season was 55, held by several players. Balentien has broken that record, hitting home runs 56 and 57 today. His mother was in attendance for his record breaking blast, and the crowd went nuts as he launched #56.
There's going to be a lot of chatter about Balentien coming back over to the states now, but he's still under contract for several more years in Japan. For now, let's just enjoy Balentien's moment.
Wlad now has 57 bombs in 113 games (!) and still has 17 games left in the season, so he'll likely put even more distance between himself and the rest of the group. This city loves to grumble about the success of departed Mariners, but this is one that should crack a smile on even the most beaten down pessimists.