I have been unable to confirm this, but if that is accurate, that blast would have more mileage that either Benchs or Trouts. Babe Ruth never did it, Jimmie Foxx never did it, Hank Greenberg never did it, wrote Povich. The ball landed in a huddle of USC football players practicing on a field behind Bovard. In this case, however, initial estimates appeared to have sold Ted Williams short. He arrived in Kansas City with a reputation of being the next Mickey Mantle. "Examination of satellite and ground-based digital photos suggests that the 502-foot figure is an accurate measurement of the horizontal distance to the 'Red Seat,' but since the impact point was approximately 30 feet above field level, the ball would have covered more distance before landing at field level, had its flight not been interrupted.". Strawberry hit another dinger during New York's Opening Day victory and matched his previous season's career high with 39 homers that year. pic.twitter.com/qHVzzjGRA4. In 2019 Jorge rewrote the Royals home run record book, blasting 48 long flys. Frank Gifford, who later made a name for himself with the New York Giants, Monday Night Football and airline stewardesses, was a running back at USC at the time, said no one ever hit a ball onto the football field. When I watch video of Benchs home run, Im convinced that the McRae home run went further. That's the longest home run in history. That wouldnt have been out of a lot of parks., Jake Taylor to Ricky Vaughn in Major League. Though this home run is impressive, it pales in comparison to the one later in this list, an absolute blast against future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Mcgwire later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . One of the most notable came in July of 2015 when Yoenis Cespedes, then playing for the Detroit Tigers sent one into orbit off the Red Soxs Steven Wright. Young Mickey Mantle shown on a later edition Sports Illustrated cover, August 21, 1995, shortly after Mantles passing. Throughout his career, Mantle would hit other memorable shots including one alleged 600-foot-plus home run at Detroits Tiger Stadium in September1960. He was Big Papi before Big Papi. Jack Doyle, Mantles Griffith Shot, April 1953, The roof might have stopped it from clearing Detroit altogether. . But Shirley Povich, a famous sports writer for the Washington Post, would later report that he asked the Senators owner, Clark Griffith, for his comment about the wind that was blowing that day. Tiger Stadium was famous for its low roof and a few players have hit balls completely out of the ballpark, but Jacksons 532-foot home run stands as one of the longest on record. But even though the ball was moved back after Mantle's homer, it hasn't been touched up since then, so we can assume that it remains a faithful representation of how far the game was played back in 1953. Urban legends of Mickey Mantle's power prowess have run wild. I was sufficiently impressed. In the fifth inning of the game that day, with the Yanks up 2-1,Yankee Billy Martinhad led off, but popped out to second. Then New York Mets slugger Dave King Kong Kingman one upped everybody that came before him though, and everybody that has played at Wrigley Field since. Neither of them really needs it.\" September 10, 1999, The Red Sox trip the Yankees, 3 - 1, as Pedro Martinez hurls an impressive one-hitter for his 21st victory of the year. July 3, 1999, the Cleveland Indians star sent a ball screaming an estimated 511 feet. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. There are folk tales about Mickey Mantle hitting the longest home run ever measured 565 feet. What is the longest home run in MLB history. Other witnesses said had the faade not provided homerus interruptus, the ball might have traveled upwards of 700 feet. Hurdle, drafted in 1975, made quick work of the Royals minor league system. Teammate Frank Howard said, Youll never see five balls hit like that in a lifetime. Batting left-handed in one appearance there, he hit a ball that left Bovard Field and crossed an adjacent football field, traveling an estimated 656 feet. Koufax shelved the slider for the rest of the night. 6/21/2019 Nomar Mazara- 505 feet pic.twitter.com/xRgKESrJTs. This one traveled 493 feet (147 m) but it was not measured so there is no confirmation that it went out of Fenway. Mickeys Historic Homer On Trial!,Mickey Mantle.com. Stobbs had broken into the majors with Boston in 1947,was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1952, and then to the Senators. MLB Network'sBob Costas credits it above as the Guinness Book of World Records holder for longest home run. Ill never forget the night, April 8, 1974, my sisters birthday, when Henry Aaron, a black man playing in the Deep South, turned on an Al Downing fastball and with his powerful wrists, sent the ball over the left field fence for career home run 715, breaking Babe Ruths long-standing record. Louis Effrat, Mantle Homer Hit Into Hall of Fame; Cooperstown Shrine Will Get Ball and Bat Used by Yank in Wallop at Capital, New York Times, Sunday, April 19, 1953, p. S-1. The longest home runs still needed a little bit more oomph. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; Canseco and fellow Bash Brother Mark McGwire teamed to hit their share of monstrous homers with the Oakland Athletics, none bigger than this blast. Seven years before Mickey Mantle hit the longest home run ever recorded in a baseball game, he hit what was then the longest tape measure shot. In reality, he would have had to hit the ball 131 miles per hour. The legends about Mickey Mantle are many - and he was a great player. Thanks for visiting and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. And most of them were absolutely crushed. "Straw hit it so far and so high that I just stood and watched.". As popular a player who ever donned a Cleveland Indians uniform, Thome victimized Kansas City Royals hurler Don Wengert for a homer that made it right out of Jacobs Field, to the amazement of the fans, TV commentators, coaches and teammates alike. Not a long fly ball, a true pop up to the infield is caused by the swing plane slicing too far downward in relation to pitch plane. None went further than the ball he hit off Minnesotas Jose Berrios on July 1, 2017. Shirley Povich, A Sporting Life, Washington Post, Sunday, October 29, 1989, p.W-22. As a fan of the game, I love to see the ball exit speed and launch angles displayed while watching games. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Many fans in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it hit the roof structure. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; He hit for a career .237 batting average. Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton marveled at Stargells homer hit against his Los Angeles Dodgers. A ball landing on the plaza might have bounced clear to I-70. Ronald Acua Jr., ATL, 2020: 495 feet. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. "I don't think anyone could ever be comfortable getting a statue, I mean that respectfully," Thome said during the unveiling ceremony, per. I would have believed 1,484 feet.". So it's reasonable to assume that at least one of his homers was hit 605 feet or more from home plate. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Over 40 scorching-hot games, Hill hit .333/.378/.735 with 16 homers for the eventual World Series champions. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; On its way out of the park, the ball Mantle hit grazed the big scoreboard atop the left field bleachers and kept on going according to one account, heading toward 5th Street, NW. The ball soared out of Wrigley Field and landed on the rooftop of a building across the street. There are folk tales about Mickey Mantle hitting the longest home run ever measured 565 feet. Gene Woodling swore that Mickey Mantle's prodigious 565-foot home run at Washington's Griffith Stadium on April 17, 1953 considered to be the longest homer in major league history wasn . How home runs transformed baseball--and America Mickey Mantle - Mickey Mantle 1992-03 Mickey Mantle, the hayseed kid from Spavinaw, Oklahoma, was in his sixth year with the Yankees. Before getting benched for Homer Simpson, Darryl Strawberry tested Olympic Stadium's limits by sending a souvenir into the lights. Whats most impressive about the moon shot is that McGwire hit it off of Mariners ace Randy Johnson, who would go on to win 20 games that year and nearly capture his second Cy Young. It was commemorated with a card in the Topps 1961 baseball set. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just hit the longest home run in baseball history! With the help of 28 mph winds, a baseball that is hit 122 mph can possibly travel just over 570 feet (in the perfect scenario). A Mickey Mantle homer was originally estimated to have gone 734 feet. Louis Effrat, Towering Drive by Yank Slugger Features 7-3 Defeat of Senators; Mantles 565-foot Homer at Capital Surpassed Only by Mighty Ruth Wallops, New York Times, Saturday, April 18, 1953, p. 12. The surefire Hall of Famer was made to look like a minor leaguer, at least for one at bat. Sitting in the first row behind home plate, I had a great view of the ball's flight. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; The poor sap who fed the Hall of Fame outfielder a gopher ball: Chuck Stobbs. Notice how long the barrel stays tight to the back shoulder. The place:Washington's Griffith Stadium. When he retired, Mantle was third on the all-time home-run list with 536, and he was the Yankees' all-time leader in games played with 2,401, a record that would be broken by Derek Jeter on August 29, 2011. ESPN's Home Run Tracker tells a different story, calculating the final distance of Piazza's slam at 515 feet. This rocket came off a pitch from the Royals Don Wengert and traveled 511 feet onto a plaza in center field of what was then known as Jacobs Field. Thome had a sweet, sweet home run swing. Sports Illustrated cover story, July 2, 1962, "Mickey Mantle, The Indispensable Yankee.". Not knowing where the ball landed on April 4, 1988, the Mets outfielder stopped at second before receiving clearance to finish rounding the bases. We were are all taught to "keep our shoulders level.". Chuck Stobbs Faces Mickey Mantle With . The park estimated his powerful swing at 505 feet, making it one of the longest homers to invite a Big Apple rising. A significant factor is that Mantle had 1,733 walks and 1,710 strikeouts. That one, like the shot at Griffith Park, traveled some distance on the ground as well, so it was likely short of its claimed distance.Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance. Jane Leavy In the former Yankee Stadium, too, Mantle hit a ball on May 22, 1963 that nearly left the stadium, a feat no hitter had ever managed. Babe Ruth (1921): 575 feet The Oakland Athletics outfielder stepped up to the plate against Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Dock Ellis, who according to Baseball-Reference.com entered the Midsummer Classic sporting a 2.11 ERA. This particular home run came off of a pitch by Senators' right hander Chuck Stobbs in Washington D.C. in April, 1953. Mickey Mantle was no stranger to long home runs. Babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run over 600 feet. Young Mickey Mantle at spring training, 1954. Fans of an earlier generation remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when Bobby Thompson beat the Brooklyn Dodgers with a ninth inning walk off or when Bill Mazeroski dispatched the Yankees in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. He hit for a career .266 batting average and earned 4 silver slugger awards. He was about to become a national hero. Jorge Soler has stroked some epic home runs in his Royal career. Mantle is holding the home run ball he hit out of Washington, D.C.'s Griffith Stadium, estimated to have gone a distance of some 562 feet. Accurately measuring those moonshots isn't much easier. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; The game has become one of the most memorable in baseball history, because in the fifth inning, Mickey Mantle hit one of the longest home runs ever recorded. In reality, he would have had to hit the ball 131 miles per hour. Ive witnessed hundreds of long balls. Alan Marchese holds a 1956 Sports Illustrated with Mickey Mantle on the cover. Turns out, they were only right about half of that. OnJuly 3, 1999, the Cleveland Indians star sent a ball screaming an estimated 511 feet. He made the majors the next season but lasted just 156 games with the Milwaukee Brewers. Patterson returned some time later with a scuffed-up ball claiming it had traveled 565 feet, a distance that would make it the longest home run ever measured. There's still no doubting Mantle's standing as one of the greatest, strongest hitters to ever live. It's foolish to take hearsay as concrete evidence, but it's also difficult to believe the man who hit 714 home runs during the dead-ball era wasn't capable of abnormal results. Mickey Mantle, 1953, 565 Feet Seven years before Mickey Mantle hit the longest home run ever recorded in a baseball game, he hit what was then the longest tape measure shot. There's a lesson for all the kids hoping to leave behind a lasting legacy: Stay humble, work hard and hit dingers. In modern stadiums, we can only estimate where the ball would have landed. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. 1:24. The sign, a piece of monetary-inspired visual pollution besmirching the beauty of Fenway, is situated in left-center field. Few thoughts will terrify a pitcher more than Giancarlo Stanton lurking inside a Coors Field batter's box. One thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. Initial estimates credited him with hitting a 656-foot bomb in college, a mark outlandish even for an MLB star using performance-enhancing drugs. Domo Arigato, Big Papi. That much is known. What is the distance between home plate and third base? Mantle finished his career with 13 walkoff home runs. Many in the crowd were still settling into their seats when Cespedes came to the plate. That shot, off the Angels Bill Singer, landed about five rows shy of the left field plaza. Hitting a baseball hundreds of feet is incredibly hard. Most home runs in that park land in the first ten rows of the lower deck. For Royal fans, George Brett provided plenty of home run drama, most of it against the Yankees. If you know of any other epic shots in Royals history, feel free to share. "The Longest Home Runs Ever Hit" He loves his job because every day is different, and you never know what kind of athlete you're going to be dealing with that day. As a result, no assortment of baseball's longest blasts can be considered 100 percent credible. If not for hitting a transformer on Tiger Stadium's roof, the baseball would have experienced a further journey. ESPN's Home Run. Mickey Mantle & Sports Illustrated covers, SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. Just so happened it was a heater and I don't know what happened.". Some say it was a dinger hit by Johnny Bench in the 1973 All-Star game. Joe Dimaggio Hails Mantle, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1953, p. C-1. He could just have easily struck out, given his penchant for swinging freely, but the gamble paid off in a big way. Swing at 505 feet, making it one of the game, I had a great player feet field... Further journey for hitting a transformer on Tiger Stadium 's roof, the Cleveland Indians star sent ball. 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