What is the distance between home plate and the mound? One Pirate later observed that \"giving Koufax a new pitch is like giving Rockefeller a dime. Shirley Povich, To Whom It May Concern, Washington Post, April 26, 1953, p. C-1. William Jenkinson, who credited Ruth with setting distance high marks in every MLB ballpark, wrotethe Yankees icon "defies rational analysis": Amazingly, many of those records remain unequaled, which is to say thatRuthis a true athletic anachronism. Mickey Mantle It became clear in May and June of that season that Maris and Mantle would wind up on the road to beating Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a single season. 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. Jack Doyle, Date Posted: 12 February 2010 Herb Heft, Best Swat in History Here Helps Top Nats, 7-3; Mantle Hits 565-Footer as Nats Lose, 7-3, Washington Post, April 18, 1953, p. 13. Without a closer look from ESPN at this Adam Dunn dinger, the lofty 535-foot approximation receives the benefit of the doubt. The longest home run I ever saw - actually didn't see, and I don't think . amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; These days, there is a new tool that should make this an easier debate moving forward. Mantle homered off 224 different pitchers during his career, connected most often while batting third in the lineup, and drove in 859 total runs when he went deep! The record has since been beaten three times, most recently by Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros in 1997. City of Denver engineer Jerry Tennyson was able to verify the distance of the home run at 582 feet. See also at this website: The M&M Boys: Summer of 1961, about the Mickey Mantle/Roger Maris home run race that summer, when Maris broke Babe Ruths record; Mickey Mantles 535th and Keeps on Ticking, which also include some history onMantle. Ted Williams introduced this concept in his book "The Science of Hitting" published in 1971. The sixth one was hit 469 feet (145 m) away from home plate and went over the left-field wall for a grand slam victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on September 25, 2012. Determining the longest homer ever in MLB history is an exercise in myth-busting. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Mickey Mantle Blasts 480 Foot Homer in St. Louis, Washington Post, April 30, 1953, Sports, p. 25. After Giancarlo Stanton decimated a baseball during the World Baseball Classic, MLB Network informed viewers that the hulking outfielder torpedoed the ball 424 feet at an exit velocity of 117.3 miles per hour. As you see in the clip above, Longoria drops his shoulder a significant amount just to hit a ball that is at the top of the strike zone. The second came on August 3 off Kyle Gibson and traveled an estimated 465 feet. In conclusion, yes, Mickey Mantle really did clear the left-center-field wall at Griffith Stadium. 0:00 / 1:25 #tbt This Week in Baseball History: Mickey Mantle's Longest Home Run | Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated 431K subscribers Subscribe 1.4K 278K views 8 years ago Sports. Longest home run for every MLB team One of his greatest moments, however, came in a game that didnt mean anything. 1964 WS Gm3: Mantle hits a walk-off home run MLB 4.05M subscribers Subscribe 2.9K Share 525K views 8 years ago 10/10/64: Mickey Mantle takes Barney Schultz deep, giving the Yankees the Game. Instead, let's look back to September 14, 1991, when the Detroit Tigers slugger pounded a ball beyondMilwaukee County Stadium's bleachers. Ball hit by Mickey Mantle on April 17, 1953 at Griffith Stadium to set a new distance record for home runs. The ball will still rising when it struck the upper right-hand corner of a sign atop the Green Monster, which temporarily deflected the laser. As a result, no assortment of baseball's longest blasts can be considered 100 percent credible. In a 5-3 win against the Japan Stars at the Tokyo Dome, Ortiz drove a ball into the lights high above the upper deck in right field. In 565 feet, Mickey Mantle (1953). Man, that ball got out of here in a hurry! He was 38 years old in his 16th season, but he still went yard 28 times over 450 plate appearances and earned a .567 slugging percentage. The actual distance was 480 feet 10 inches, which is one of the great tragedies of sports history. Who hit the longest home run ever and how far did they estimate it to have Travelled? Jose Canseco's upper-deck blast helped the Oakland Athletics defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1989 American League Championship Series. In virtually every other field of endeavor in which physical performance can be measured, there are no Ruthian equivalents. Patterson said a young boy found the ball and had taken him to the spot where it landed, in a back yard at 434 Oakdale Place. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Throughout his career, Mantle would hit other memorable shots including one alleged 600-foot-plus home run at Detroits Tiger Stadium in September1960. 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. In seven-plus seasons since Statcasts inception, three home runs have traveled more than 500 feet. This study shows that achieving zero offset in swing plane vs. pitch plane is optimal for ball exit velocity. For what it's worth, it passes the "Wow, he sure hit that ball a long way" eye test. In 1951, when Mantle was in his rookie spring training season with the Yankees, he hit a couple of monster home runs in an exhibition game at the University of Southern California that are still talked about. On its return to earth, the ball struck the back wall of the left field bullpen. According to Greg Maddox, chicks dig the long ball. 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. 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. September 10, 1918 - Players on both sides of the World Series threaten to strike unless they are guaranteed $2,500 to the winners and $1,000 each for the losers. Martinez strikes out 17 batters, the most Yankees ever fanned in a single game. Pitching for the Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw. Per National Baseball Hall of Fames Matt Kelly, it went an estimated 535 feet. Turns out, they were only right about half of that. Another five feet and the ball would have cleared the bullpen and landed in the grass aside the plaza. 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. Others claim the longest jack was hit by the Angels Mike Trout in June of 2014 off Jason Vargas. In more recent times, Alex Gordons ninth inning, Game one World Series blast against the New York Mets in 2015 will be remembered forever. 1970 Topps NL Home Run Leaders Willie McCovey Hank Aaron Lee May PSA 5 EX #65 (#255943093250) b***a (186) - Feedback left by buyer b . If we take a closer look at the swing of Jose Canseco, we can begin to understand why he was able to hit a baseball 540ft. After retiring, Mantle signs a minor league contract with the New York Mets but was released after appearing in only three games due to knee problems again. There really is nothing like getting the head of the bat out on a high fastball. "The ball assumed what can only be called a majestic arc and landed on the left-field roof in Tiger Stadium," Ryan wrote. Statcast data, however, is still a relatively new tool. In September 2008, Dunn crushed a fastball from Colorado lefty Glendon Rusch that hit the Jumbotron at Chase Field. Lets take a look at some of the longest home runs ever hit. 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. In 2019 Jorge rewrote the Royals home run record book, blasting 48 long flys. Two months later, the Cubs traded him to the Yankees, wherehe put together the best stint of his career. On September 20, 1968, Mickey Mantle's 536th and last home run signals the end of an era. As MLB.com's Ben Weinribnoted, the blast marked the longest homer since MLB installed Statcast in all stadiums in 2015. Gambling problem? Kingman hit at 13:57. Thome lacerated the Royals with 49 career home runs, many coming in late game situations. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. It was the first ball ever hit out of Griffith and traveled an estimated 565 feet. Thome had a sweet, sweet home run swing. On a ball that sped 124 mph off the bat, ESPN's Home Run Tracker estimated a distance of 539 feet if unhindered. Youll never hit a bigger home run in your life! In fact, the announcer's calls of each of those home runs, Thompson, Mazeroski and Aaron are classic moments in baseball history. Clemente's fourth career home run off Sandy came off a slider, a pitch the Pirates didn't know Koufax had picked up in the last ten days. 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. But not so fast. This was a historic 565-foot homer that helped fuel the Mantle legend. Skeptics will certainly be forgiven for doubting that distance, but others will prefer to simply believe. Hitting the ball both high and hard is something that needs to be practiced. Ready for a breakdown of the longest home runs ever? Since legitimate measurements have been done, it turns out even a 450 foot home run is an amazing thing. The angle of incoming pitch will effect our ability to optimize both exit speed and launch angle. 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. Boh logo. Richie Sexson stood so tall in the batters box you would think that he was tall enough to play in the NBA. Skeptics will certainly be forgiven for doubting that distance, but others will prefer to simply believe. Mickey Mantles powerful swing from the left side of the plate, September 3, 1961, hitting his 49th home run during the fabled race with Roger Maris, who went on to break Babe Ruths record that year with 61. MLB Statcast was introduced in 2015 and gave fans a more accurate indicator of home run distance. There's no video evidence or official measurement of his monumental feat, but Negro League star Josh Gibson allegedly smacked a home run580 feetout of Yankee Stadium on June 3, 1937. Meyer made his big league debut the following season with the Milwaukee Brewers. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. The majestic shot actually hit the scoreboard above the centerfield fence. Richard Keiber, a collector who obtained Kingman's moonshot outside of Wrigley Field, insisted to theChicago Tribune's Rick Talley in 2003 that 600 feet was a more accurate tally. No Wind, Declares Judge, Helped Mantle Homer, New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 1953, Sports, p. 34. In those days, the plazas behind the left and right field seats housed a circular concrete building of restrooms and a concession stand. It was mid-April 1953. Some statisticians and baseball experts believe that Mickey Mantle's 565-foot (approximately 172 meters) blast off Chuck Stobbs of the Senators in Washington in 1953 was the longest batted baseball ever. They never spoke about the home run that broke . This cannon shot to straightaway center carried an estimated 474 feet. It was as no doubt about it a home run as could possibly be. Younger fans will recall Joe Carters 1993 series-ending blast, which broke the hearts of Philadelphia fans. Brown wasnt known for giving up a lot of home runs, but the Cat sure lit him up. One day we will get true metrics on the longest home run ever. He had yielded just four homers during the first half, but Jackson took him deep for an unofficial fifth. The previous record was held by Babe Ruth, who is considered the greatest hitter in baseball history. The park estimated his powerful swing at 505 feet, making it one of the longest homers to invite a Big Apple rising. A lot of these homers reached the upper decks and some even left the ballpark completely. Not bad at all, but. The place:Washington's Griffith Stadium. June 9, 1946, for a dinger deemed to have traveled 502 feet. Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. There's still no doubting Mantle's standing as one of the greatest, strongest hitters to ever live. So even though many people think that Ruth's shots were all over the field, some of them had to have been less than this distance. "I don't think anyone could ever be comfortable getting a statue, I mean that respectfully," Thome said during the unveiling ceremony, per Cleveland.com's Joey Morona. You know anything that travels that far ought to have a damn stewardess on it, dont you think?, Theres something romantic about home runs. This one traveled 493 feet (147 m) but it was not measured so there is no confirmation that it went out of Fenway. This particular homer came courtesy of The Big Cat Andres Galarraga, who absolutely smoked an inside pitch from Marlins ace Kevin Brown into the top deck of the old Pro Players Stadium. ESPN's Home Run Tracker yielded a projected true distance of 443 feet. Shirley Povich, A Sporting Life, Washington Post, Sunday, October 29, 1989, p.W-22. amzn_assoc_linkid = "2133531abc20bf49c266f610b6f2270d"; With two outs in the ninth, Bob Lemon comes on to relieve Johnny Allen with the score 4-4. Randall Swearingen, A Great Teammate: The Legend of Mickey Mantle, Sports Publishing LLC, 2007, 232 pp. The ball. 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. He hits balls that just keep carrying. It said, "Barney, you're still the greatest." Schultz finished the Series with an 18.00 ERA. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Jack Sackman The Yankees defeat the Kansas City Athletics 7-4 in a game that lasts only 95 minutes because of rain delays. They back off, however, when told they will appear greedy while their countrymen are fighting a war. "The Rockies credited Piazza with a 496-foot home run, but their procedure for measuring home runs at the time did not attempt to include the additional distance the ball would have flown had it not landed on the concourse," ESPN's blurb said in defense of its enhanced projection. "The ball assumed what can only be called a majestic arc and landed on the left-field roof in Tiger Stadium," Ryan wrote. "You can feel the wind blowing," Expos right fielder Hubie Brooks said, per Durso's report. Canseco later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. From 1990 to 1991, Cecil Fielder accrued an MLB-best 95 home runs, including a soaring shot onto the Tiger Stadium roof in 1990. One of baseball's most unheralded sluggers, Jim Thome retired with the quietest 612 home runs and .956 OPS ever. In October, Mantle announces his retirement due to chronic knee problems. In 1956, Mantle had a career year led the AL in batting average (.353), home runs (52) and RBI (130) to win the elusive Triple Crown as well as the American League Most Valuable Player award. (Courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame) The longest home run ever hit. His blasts were more like laser beams. Shirley Povich, Mantles Critics Swing, Miss, Washington Post, Monday, June 19, 1995, p. C-1. Mantle's homer was part of an offensive outburst by the Yankees that day: New York beat Washington, 4-3, in 11 innings. On April 17, 1953, when Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington, the whole baseball world assumed the ball had gone 565 feet from home plate to the place where it landed. The first baseman ended his MLB career with 18 home runs in 156 games across two seasons, but it was his monstrous minor league homer that etched his name into the history books. The tater in this video caused a ripple in the giant right field Jumbotron at Shea Stadium. Jose Canseco played in the Major Leagues from 1985 to 2001, over that time span he hit 462 home runs. 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. ESPN's Home Run Tracker docked his true distance down to 487. Adam Dunn played in the Major Leagues from 2001 to 2014, over that time span he hit 462 home runs. Jenkinson's findings serve as the basis for the used mark of 530 feet. Mr. October was the architect of many classic post-season memories while wearing New York Yankees pinstripes. Hurdle, drafted in 1975, made quick work of the Royals minor league system. Ive spoken to a few fans who say that the Royals John Mayberry hit a gargantuan home run that bounced off the top of the concession stand in the right field plaza. What is the longest home run wall in the MLB? 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