Newly acquired San Diego Padres outfielder Justin Upton hit a solo home run in the team’s first spring training game of the season, a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings.
Upton’s homer came in the top of the seventh inning and careened high of the batters eye in center field.
He would finish the game 1-3.
Fellow newcomer, outfielder Matt Kemp, did not have the same success as Upton in his spring debut and finished 0-3 with a strikeout and grounded into a double play.
Third baseman Yangervis Solarte, who is battling for the starting third base job with Will Middlebrooks, went 2-3 with a double, and first baseman Tommy Medica went 2-2 with an RBI.
The Padres will play the Mariners again tomorrow at 12:05 p.m. at the Peoria Sports Complex and right hander Andrew Cashner is expected to start.
