The ball was hit on August 16, 1935. Seeing great drives land atop distant upper-deck roof, sportswriters observing the occurrence from a press box would resort to their limited skills in mathematics without any regard for the laws of physics. 4. FAQ. That ball that Killebrew hit, Oliva said, it was unbelievable someone could hit the ball that far.. There were no American League stadiums where Mantle played where he did not hit a home run of at least 450 feet to both the left and right sides of the field. Unlike the 1971 All Star game blast when his Famous homer hit the light tower in right center and came back onto the field, his 1984 blast TOTALLY cleared the roof and left the stadium. Glenallen Hill - 500 Feet. Perhaps the ball had already flown over 400 feet, whereupon it was interrupted in midflight at a height of 70 feet above field level. 12/9 Tennessee. You are correct about Howard. Ruth later claimed this was the longest home run he ever hit, the News-Sentinel reported. Mickey Mantle 1973 - His Last Home Run in Yankee Stadium, OTD, 8/11/1973 YanksAtShea 6.23K subscribers 1.4M views 11 years ago YanksAtShea finds another archival goodie (some video-audio. Let it be emphasized that the mighty Mick was undoubtedly one of baseball's all time longest hitters. On September 30, 2017, New York Yankee Aaron Judge hit a 496-foot home run to left-center field off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman. Cecil Fielder In 1921 there was no SportsCenter, no 24-hour highlight machine called the Internet. 565-foot home run at Washington's Griffith Stadium on April 17, 1953 considered to be . This years World Series games at Wrigley Field remind us of Babe Ruths legendary home run there, when he allegedly called his shot in Game 3 of the 1932 Fall Classic in Chicago. Ruths mammoth homer is the only ball to be confirmed to have left Navin Field/Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium in center field. A suitable example can be identified in Ruth's classic Comiskey Park rooftopper on August 16, 1927. According to Statcast, someone soon to follow topped Mike Piazza's 496-foot homer from Sept. 26, 1997, as the longest home run in Coors Field history. This one went over the left field roof, off Oaklands Dave Stewart. Reggie Jackson, Oakland Athletics outfielder - 539 feet, Tiger Stadium. Inside Jim Flinn's memory, May 11, 1969, is a web of fuzzy details, a kaleidoscope of greens and grays, aside from the moment that couldn't be more clear. Editors note: This story was originally published on June 29, 2006. I'm here to drive home runs. It took prodigious strength to reach the upper deck at Washington's Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, but "Hondo" did it 24 times, ranging from the left-field foul pole all the way to straightaway center field. Hall of Fame historian Bill Jenkinson once estimated it as the longest home run ever hit. The 92.3 mph fastball had a 108.9 mph exit velocity off Goldschmidts bat. His regular bombardment of the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium has not been approximated in the 60-year history of that structure. I remember watching the 1971 blast as a 12 year old on TV with my family living in Michigan at the time. This was his first game since 17 September, when he . Any drive over 400 feet is noteworthy. Tim Hagerty is the broadcaster for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, and is on Twitter at @MinorsTeamNames. One of the hardest ever at the corner was a blast by Jimmie Foxx deep into left center, just to the left of the center field scoreboard. According to former Tiger Stadium groundskeeper Frank Feneckit, it took almost a howitzer to send a ball over the left-field grandstand at The Corner. As of 1995, the Mantle of baseball's longest hitter can probably best be worn by Cecil Fielder. Dozens of players have peppered the left field roof at batting practice, though. Allen was consistent, hitting 17 home runs for the Cardinals at home and 17 on the road. Friday 3 March 2023 21:59, UK. Like other home runs mentioned on this list, Thome's blast bounced through the streets after leaving the stadium by flying over the center field fence. These were not temp help that knew nothing these were professionals who knew not just everything but were truly looking out for me. The ball cleared the wide breadth of Grand Boulevard and landed on the sidewalk approximately 470 feet from home plate. The next truly great slugger in the chronology of long-distance hitting was Ted Williams, who arrived on the major league scene in 1939. Jackson told the Associated Press postgame that he wasnt even trying to hit a home run. Imagine if he was! Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Its remarkable, and comforting, that, despite their conspicuous increase in muscle mass, todays sluggers dont really hit the ball any farther than their predecessors. Paul was great to work with and offered to delay shipping when I told him I would be on vacation on the original delivery date. Martinez hit the longest home run in Comerica Park history last season at an estimated 467 feet. In fact, the ball bounced off a seat about eight rows back. The homer that traveled to center field with an exit velocity of 113.2 mph, and was Martinezs 13th home run of the season. On June 27, 2007, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard launched a 505-foot home run off of Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Aaron Harang. Martinez hit a 467-foot home run off of Seattle Mariners Taijuan Walker on July 21, 2015. After Ruth and Foxx, Mantle ranks as high as or higher than anyone else who ever tried to hit a baseball to faroff places. Along with Roger Connor, the longest hitters in the early days of the major leagues during the 19th century included such men as Harry Stovey, Buck Ewing, Jocko Milligan, and Ed Delahanty. Martinez, July 21, 2015 (467 feet)This is the standard by which all Comerica Park homers are measured these days. By his own admission, during his 18-year career at Yankee Stadium, which included thousands of swing variables, he hit several balls to right field in an optimum manner. 5. And then theres a millennial favorite -- Albert Pujols soul-crushing tater off Astros reliever Brad Lidge -- which looks just as fast as Stanton's record 121 mph laser when you watch it on tape. Check the home run lengths of all seventy Mark McGwire blasts and all sixty-six Sammy Sosa's shots in the fabulous feats section. Buffalo Bisons pitcher Mike Murphy threw a 2-2 slider that Meyer crushed 582 feet into the thin Colorado air. Detroit Outfielder Cullenbines Skills Were Ahead of His Time, Jon Warden made the most of his one season with Tigers, The longest home runs hit at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Almost predictably, it is not the winners of the formal contest who receive the greatest admiration. In virtually every other field of endeavor in which physical performance can be measured, there are no Ruthian equivalents. 2. A blow of 450 feet shows exceptional power, as the majority of major league players are unable to hit a ball that far. How long will it take the next Olympic champion to run the 100-meter sprint? The ball landed. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alan Foster. These were men of great skill and power, and they unquestionable set the distance standards for their times. On June 14, 1983, Gibson belted a blast over the right field roof against the Red Sox. And while were unable to go back and superimpose exit velocities and projected distances on homers from the past, we can certainly gawk at them and wonder, "What if they were tracked?" The Babe cranked an exhibition game dinger there that traveled over the left-center field fence and into a moving train. One of the most common question asked here at Baseball Almanac is who hit the longest home run ever. Cleveland Indians first baseman, and future Hall of Famer, Jim Thome hit a 511-foot home run to center field on July 3, 1999, off of Kansas City Royals pitcher Don Wengert. Comerica Park is big enough all around that there are no cheap home runs. Recently got a blank jersey stitched at Vintage Detroit and the finished product looks awesome! Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers went through drills and a bullpen session during Spring Training Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Windy days at Wrigley are the best. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Ruth took a train to Wilkes-Barre two days after the 1926 World Series (imagine Kris Bryant playing an exhibition game later this weekfor a couple thousand people) and tattooed a ball 650 feet, according to members ofWilkes-Barre's City Government. What is the highest mountain in the world? It should be noted that those regular references over the years to 500- and 600-foot home runs were born out of scientific ignorance, misinformation, or even deliberate exaggeration. Landed in the last few rows one per deck bleachers. He is also the author of"Root for the Home Team: Minor League Baseball's Most Off-the-Wall Team Names.". I don't live nearby so the ability to have it shipped for $10 was well worth the cost. The home run was Reyes sixth of the season. George Kight says it was easy to tell how well a ball was hit at the old Metropolitan Stadium. Reid, an engineer, estimates the distance in the air as no less than 610 feet, theTampa Bay Times wrote. document.write(update); Since this home run was the only one that ever cleared those bleachers during decades of major league and Negro League competition, it is genuinely deserving of recognition. The covered upper-deck seats add even more grandeur to Big Cats neck-craner, providing a pad for the ball to thump and trickle down like a golf ball on a putt-putt course. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Moving into the eighties, Mike Schmidt, Jim Rice, and Darryl Strawberry set the pace at a time when modern technology permitted us to better understand the limitations of the flight of a batted ball. And Giancarlo Stanton has hit the hardest tracked homer at a scorching 121.7 mph. 15 15. At the time, we did not know what a big deal that was. Privacy Policy Fort Wayne, Ind. On September 26, 1997, future Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a 496-foot home run to left-center off of Colorado Rockies reliever Darren Holmes. Adam Dunn, 535 Feet, Out of the Park The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati isn't a classic hitter's field, statistically at least, but Adam Dunn sure tamed it. Wily Mo Pena at GABP (April 17, 2005)This ball was river-bound too, if it wasnt for that pesky upper deck standing in the way. Respect to the camera crew for not flinching and focusing on their work. MORE:Where was baseball's first night game? Awed by such a demonstration of power, the writers would then describe the event for posterity as a 500-and-some-foot home run. Lilly challenged him and Bonds, in the words of broadcaster Jon Miller, hit one to New Jersey. It is even easier to consider modern history to help us understand that nothing has changed in the intervening years in our fascination with long home runs. Reggie Jackson's 1971 All-Star homer off the transformer atop Tiger Stadium's rightfield roof is one of the most famous long shots. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. They checked it over and off I went. That was a big surprise, that somebody could hit the ball that far, said Tony Oliva, a slugger himself. He holds the record for longest home run in Cleveland Indians history at 511 feet, which he hit against the Kansas City Royals in 1999. As a lifelong Tigers fan, I have been fortunate enough to see two players clear the fence. Advertisement That puts it up there with legendary home runs from the likes of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. During those years, only one drive of 500 feet was confirmed by this system. Willie Stargell blasted a home run estimated to be 535 feet long at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, the stadium's biggest blast in history. Stanton hit a ball in the Coors Field, one of the highest . Local Springsteen fans bemoan spiraling ticket prices to see the Boss, Boys section hockey: Mahtomedi breaks away late from Chisago Lakes to earn state tourney return, Wild say goodbye to Jordan Greenway to jump start busy day of trades, Three St. Paul teachers among 33 semifinalists for MN teacher of the year, State wrestling: Simley ties program-record mark with fifth straight Class 2A crown, St. Louis Park man killed cousin, local chef outside St. Paul funeral reception, charges say, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. Mizzou opened its home slate with a 17-2 run-rule victory over . Batting for the Reds against the Cardinals, Wally Post boldly launched a baseball where none had gone before at the original Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Dr. Paul E. Susman, a . The place was. No player has ever cleared the left field roof. On June 2, 2017, Manny Machado hit a 465-foot home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello. The longest home run in Men's College World Series history at Charles Schwab Field Omaha unofficially belongs to Arkansas' Brady Slavens, who went deep 436 feet in 2022. We look at the farthest home runs hit in MLB history, with videos of some of the longest home runs ever hit. On April 14, 1976, New York Mets right fielder Dave Kingman hit an estimated 530-foot home run to left-center field off Chicago Cubs pitcher Tom Dettore. Glenallen Hill at Wrigley Field (May 11, 2000)When the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, everything seems possible for a slugger -- including the rooftops across Waveland Avenue. Yesterday was the 49th anniversary of what is considered the longest home run ever hit at Metropolitan Stadium. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Its immortalized with a Florida Historical Markertitled Babes Longest Homer.. Coincidentally, that was the same ballpark where Mickey Mantle had supplanted Williams as the game's longest hitter seven years earlier. Is there a logical explanation for that behavior? Well, the whole Yankees roster did in 1929 for an exhibition against Sing Sing Correctional Facility inmates. It is a scientific fact that if Mantle, or anyone else, had sufficient strength to hit a ball that was still traveling upward when it met the towering facade, he would also have enough strength to clear that same facade by a distance of at least 100 feet. Other great distance hitters from the sixties were Harmon Killebrew, Dick Stuart, and Boog Powell. And Giancarlo Stanton has hit the hardest tracked homer at a scorching 121.7 mph. So who really did hit the longest home run ever? It may be appropriate to cite another example of this same optical illusion. This feat was accomplished at a time before home runs were hit with enough frequency to be considered a regular part of the game. Babe Ruth, yellowing newspaper accounts have it, hit a ball out of the old Tiger Stadium in 1926. Mantle was a switch-hitter who was equally powerful from both sides of the plate. It seems only fitting to quote Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, two very smart and well-respected Cy Young award winning pitchers throughout the steroid era, when they put it best, "chicks dig the longball.". This was one of seven home runs hit in this game, which the Dodgers won 10-4. Included among the other great exaggerations in the history of tape measure home runs are Dave Nicholson's Comiskey Park rooftopper on May 6, 1964, and Dave Kingman's Wrigley Field blast on April 14, 1976. That homer was officially estimated at 481 feet, one foot farther than the longest hit by a Twin at the Dome, Kent Hrbeks homer hit to straight-away right field Sept. 9, 1984. Have Your Own Jersey? Cecil Fielder of the Detroit Tigers is credited with powering a ball 502 feet in the air over the left-field bleachers at Milwaukee's County Stadium on September 14, 1991. You didnt even have to see it; the crack of the bat said it all. Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and West Brom at the MKM Stadium. Their displays of pure power were greeted with passionate enthusiasm, though they did not occur in an actual game. Order Tracking . I think they left Dick Allen in 1973 for the White Sox. Long gone! The City of Wilkes-Barre built a permanent display in Kirby Park honoring Ruths prodigious Pennsylvania poke. A 34-mph wind blew toward the bleachers that day, which is why Mee thinks Killebrews second upper-deck shot may actually have been hit harder. Hitters have been going well beyond that for over a decade. Some Long Home Runs at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium. A few times, he was able to send the baseball up and out of Tiger Stadium with his left-handed swing. So, you didnt have much of a chance to see a four-bagger back in those days. Customer Service Ruths barnstorming team traveled to Fort Wayne shortly after the Yankees won the 1927 World Series. Mo Vaughn at Shea Stadium (June 26, 2002)When the Shea Stadium workers put up that giant beer ad, did any of them think someone would hit a baseball off the blue part, three-quarters of the way up? Ruth hit the ball clear out of Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) to center field, a shot Jenkinson. When researching longest home runs, you'll likely run across claims that legends like Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth hit home runs well over 600 feet.