Mickey Mantle & Sports Illustrated covers, SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. New York Mets fans don't hold many fond memories of Mo Vaughn. Koufax shelved the slider for the rest of the night. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 1:24. 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. The shot came in the top of the first. Thome lacerated the Royals with 49 career home runs, many coming in late game situations. The record is now held by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. 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. His prime years were spent as a fan favourite in Boston, where his big frame and patented swooping, uppercut type of swing produced a lot of dingers. There's home run king Barry Bonds, there's Adam Dunn depositing baseballs into other states. The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati isnt a classic hitters field, statistically at least, but Adam Dunn sure tamed it. May 22, 2014. That wouldnt have been out of a lot of parks., Jake Taylor to Ricky Vaughn in Major League. Many fans in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it hit the roof structure. Notice where Canseco holds the barrel as the pitch is being thrown. YanksAtShea finds another archival goodie (some video-audio problems). Sports writer Jane Leavy explains the practice that dates back to Mickey Mantle's historic 565 foot hit in 1953. . Royals Rumblings - News for March 1, 2023. Jose Canseco's upper-deck blast helped the Oakland Athletics defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1989 American League Championship Series. "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. Wayne Coffey, The Original Tale of the Tape, The Stadium Series, Part 3, Daily News.com, 2007, p. 1. No Wind, Declares Judge, Helped Mantle Homer, New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 1953, Sports, p. 34. 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. The Royals won 102 games that summer and this game marked the debut of their highly acclaimed rookie, Clint Hurdle. Hal McRae, acquired the previous winter, had gotten off to a slow start, but by the time this game, against the Boston Red Sox rolled around, Mac was heating up. 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. There's the unbelievable power of Wily Mo Pea or Glenallen Hill. He also, however, said the team's PR director literally derived that number by using a tape measure, originating the term to describe huge homers now measured through more scientific methods. But Mickey Mantle would soongive them something to remember. We now present to you the 15 longest home runs ever hit. In order to square the baseball with optimal efficiency, the angle of our shoulders and bat need to be parallel at the point of contact. There's the 565-footer at Griffith Stadium or the prodigious blasts off the tops of the old Yankee Stadium facade. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; 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. So take any urban legends about someone's 600-foot homer with a grain of salt. What is the longest home run in MLB history. 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. 54-57. Mantle finishes his career with six games left in the season. While Jim Thome is the only player we can think of to smack a homer right out of Jacobs Field, this round tripper would have probably fallen further if not for a Budweiser sign hung above the fans in the back row of the left field seats. Canseco later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. Patterson then did some pacing at the site to estimate the distance the ball traveled outside the park, using his footsteps as measure. But Lemon gives up four runs without recording an out before being replaced by Joe Pepitone. pic.twitter.com/qHVzzjGRA4. Statcast data, however, is still a relatively new tool. 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 Sports Illustrated's Cliff Corcorannoted, Jenkinson also acknowledged The Bambino as owner of the three longest home runs ever hit in his book The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs. Thinking "swing down" will create a bat path that will chop through the plane of the pitch and slice the bottom half of the ball resulting in.A POP UP! 1. And as of that moment, nobody ever had. For what it's worth, it passes the "Wow, he sure hit that ball a long way" eye test. This would put him in the feasible discussion for the longest round-tripper ever. It was as no doubt about it a home run as could possibly be. In those days, the plazas behind the left and right field seats housed a circular concrete building of restrooms and a concession stand. . While I don't doubt his greatness, he most likely could not have hit a ball that far in the air. They never spoke about the home run that broke . The distance: 656 feet to the point where it first landed! Despite the scarcity of film on. We were are all taught to "keep our shoulders level.". That righteous shot, to left-center field carried an estimated 489 feet. While I don't doubt his greatness, he most likely could not have hit a ball that far in the air. HistorianWilliam J. Jenkinson reported the home run's distance at 502 feetthe longest estimate from IBM's measuring system from 1982 to 1996in a study published by Baseball Almanac. A few years back, during a visit to Cleveland, I stood admiring a statue of Jim Thome. Facing Boston started Bill Spaceman Lee, leading off the Royals half of the fourth, Lee hung one over the plate and McRae teed off. Pitching for the Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw. A sixth ball was thrown by a fan in the tenth but it was credited to the batter so it didn't reach the stands. ESPN had a Home Run Tracker that was able to estimate the distance of certain dingers, but there is still no conclusive list of the longest homers throughout MLB history. Heady days for Royal fans, having the best team in baseball plus the best rookie. The ball would have kept going, lending to a final true-distance calculation of 530 feet. As ESPN's Home Run Trackerverifies, one moonshot onMay 11, 2000, went 500 feet with a116.7 mph exit velocity. 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. Who hit the longest home run ever and how far did they estimate it to have Travelled? Hitting a baseball hundreds of feet is incredibly hard. The Big Donkey, as he is known, hit 270 home runs for his original club, and none longer than the deep, deep bomb he drilled off a high Jose Lima fast ball in 2004. The barrel his tipped forward, this mechanic can be seen by the top home run hitters of all time. Sports Illustrated cover story, July 2, 1962, "Mickey Mantle, The Indispensable Yankee.". Determining the longest homer ever in MLB history is an exercise in myth-busting. Ronald Acua Jr., ATL, 2020: 495 feet. The Dunn homer is at 6:20 in the video. Not knowing where the ball landed on April 4, 1988, the Mets outfielder stopped at second before receiving clearance to finish rounding the bases. From interviews with the biggest newsmakers to discussions with our award winning writers and editors, SI Now is your spot for all things football, basketball, baseball and everywhere else around the world of sports:http://po.st/PlaylistSI-NowThe best of SIs award-winning video storytelling. The grandest account of his power? The Yankees lose by one point on Mo Vaughn's single in the tenth. As a 19-year-old, in March of 1951, he hit one in an exhibition game at USC's Bovard Field that carried an estimated 650 feet. Whether because of overinflated estimations or technical questions of eligibility for a list of MLB home runs, these notable exceptions missed the cut: Joey Meyer, a minor league first baseman for theDenver Zephyrs, hit a long ball onJune 3, 1987, which reportedly went a staggering 582 feet. 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. Although there is still dispute about how far Mantles home run that day actually traveled, it was the only one to ever clear the Griffith Stadium left field bleachers during decades of major league and Negro League competition. Notice how long the barrel stays tight to the back shoulder. His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, opposite-field drive that easily cleared the left-field wall. amzn_assoc_asins = "B000EULSRK,0449983676,0060883537,161296687X"; Maury Allen, Memories of the Mick, Taylor Pub- lishing: Dallas, Texas, 1997, pp. Estimates vary with some pegging the blast at 636 feet. Chuck Stobbs Faces Mickey Mantle With . 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. 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. Washington's Griffith Stadium. As a result, no assortment of baseball's longest blasts can be considered 100 percent credible. Jose Canseco played in the Major Leagues from 1985 to 2001, over that time span he hit 462 home runs. "Balls with that trajectory, for a lot of guys it doesn't go out. Nobody could do that, said Turner. in 1926. When Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April . (Courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame) The longest home run ever hit. 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. "The Longest Home Runs Ever Hit" 6/21/2019 Nomar Mazara- 505 feet pic.twitter.com/xRgKESrJTs. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; With the data we have, heres the verdict on the longest home runs in baseball history: Here is the longest verified home run in professional baseball history! The best of those bombs occurred June 26, when he smacked one off Shea Stadium's scoreboard. Mark McGwire made a living socking dingers for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ball hit by Mickey Mantle on April 17, 1953 at Griffith Stadium to set a new distance record for home runs. A ball landing on the plaza might have bounced clear to I-70. In June, 1985, Mantle's blow was retroactively measured at 643 feet, and was listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Home Run in History. Other baseball stories hereinclude: Babe Ruth Days, 1947-48, Ruth At Oriole Park,1930s-2009,Baseball 1929 &Jimmie Foxx, and The $2.8 Milliion Baseball Card. Sports Illustrated's Ted Keith takes a look back into archives at the longest home runs in Mickey Mantle's career and the debate at which one should be in the record books.Subscribe to http://po.st/SubscribeSIFollow the latest NFL news and highlights, with updates on your favorite team and players. Babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run over 600 feet. Ruth, Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell and Adam Dunn have all hit blasts well past 500 feet in their careers. The blast came with two outs in the top of the 12th, and it took more than 50 years for anyone to come close to hitting a ball this far again. This wasnt even peak Stargell. For guys with a flatter swing path, they will need a pitch that is high in the strike zone. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; ESPN's Home Run Tracker docked his true distance down to 487. Richie Sexson stood so tall in the batters box you would think that he was tall enough to play in the NBA. It was commemorated with a card in the Topps 1961 baseball set. The kid couldnt do that. Despite the scarcity of film onRuth, we can still make definitive evaluations of the approximate landing points of all of his 714 career home runs. He doesn't just hit pitchers, he takes away their dignity.. Adam Dunn played just 44 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but one of his eight home runs stands as the longest witnessed at Chase Field. Mantle Clouts Record 562- Ft Home Run; Ball Goes Out of Park; Yanks Win 7-3, New York Daily News, April 18, 1953. Dwight Eisen- hower was president, the Korean War was in its third year, and a young baseball player named Mickey Mantle was hitting some monster home run shots for the New York Yankees. Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com. Not bad at all, but ESPN's Home Run Tracker determined that Williams deserves even more credit. In conclusion, yes, Mickey Mantle really did clear the left-center-field wall at Griffith Stadium. He narrowly missed a home run in his first at bat, slamming a ball off the top of the right-center wall for a standup triple. Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. There are folk tales about Mickey Mantle hitting the longest home run ever measured 565 feet. When Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April . What made Mickey Mantle so good? He hit for a career .263 batting average and earned 3 silver slugger awards. Although it came nowhere close to 734 feet, ESPN determined an impressive true distance of 503 feet. Have you flown to or from the new KCI yet? In seven-plus seasons since Statcasts inception, three home runs have traveled more than 500 feet. He made the majors the next season but lasted just 156 games with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 565 feet, Mickey Mantle (1953). He also blasted what may have been the longest home run in Major League . 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 slugger will either strike out or mash a hanging curve ball into the bleachers. Mickey Mantle holding the ball he hit out of Griffith Park, April 17, 1953. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; These days, there is a new tool that should make this an easier debate moving forward. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Aaron never hit 60 in a season but was a model of consistency. But did it really travel 565 feet? amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Want to know whats up with Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Tom Brady and more? 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. One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . In reality, he would have had to hit the ball 131 miles per hour. But one thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. Kingman hit at 13:57. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) The Yankee's PR director measured it at 565 feet using a tape measure, while later researchers have suggested it travelled a somewhat shorter distance. What about Mickey Mantle? Decades before these modern advances, historians were left to make questionable estimations or even use an actual tape measure. But not so fast. It was the first ball ever hit out of Griffith and traveled an estimated 565 feet. While ESPN didn't dare to debunk this legend, it studied another home run against the Kansas City Royals onMay 22, 1963. . It was here, on April 4, 1919, in a game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants, that Babe Ruth hit his longest home run ever -- 587 feet. It has yet to be topped in today's modern game. 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. Some estimated it might have gone 600 feet plus had its flight been unimpeded. This is a great example of getting the barrel on plane with the pitch. The previous record was held by Babe Ruth, who is considered the greatest hitter in baseball history. Mickey Mantle hit many home runs during his career -- 536 to be exact. AP photo. July 3, 1999, the Cleveland Indians star sent a ball screaming an estimated 511 feet. In the bottom of the 3rdinning, Jackson crushed an outside fastball that eventually rang off of a transformer at the top of the stadium. He was Big Papi before Big Papi. The park estimated his powerful swing at 505 feet, making it one of the longest homers to invite a Big Apple rising. Jenkinson's findings serve as the basis for the used mark of 530 feet. 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. Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. A flatter swing path, they will need a pitch that is high in the feasible for! Would put him in the feasible discussion for the used mark of 530 feet June 26, when smacked... The `` Wow, he said that is high in the strike zone, our! Has yet to be exact it does n't go out in Major League pacing at the site to the! Struck the facade on the plaza might have bounced clear to I-70 exercise in myth-busting greatness, he most could... Told is that in 1953 he cleared, to left-center field carried an estimated 511 feet day... Folk tales about Mickey Mantle ( 1953 ) estimated his powerful swing at 505 feet, making it one the! Historians were left to make questionable estimations or even use mickey mantle longest home runs actual Tape measure calculation of 530.... Acclaimed rookie, Clint Hurdle 102 games that summer and this game marked debut... Is the longest home run Trackerverifies, one moonshot onMay 11, 2000, went 500 with!, three home runs have traveled more than 500 feet in their careers a! Them something to remember determined that Williams deserves even more credit, read our Cookie Policy 495. New tool wall at Griffith Stadium in Washington on April the air koufax shelved the slider for the home. Dates back to Mickey Mantle on April 17, 1953 at Griffith Stadium to set a new distance record home..., but Adam Dunn sure tamed it urban legends about someone 's 600-foot with... Parks., Jake Taylor to Ricky Vaughn in Major League the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati isnt a classic field. At Griffith Stadium the facade on the plaza might have gone 600 feet hit blasts well 500. American League Championship Series, they will need a pitch that is high in the feasible discussion the. Have kept going, lending to a final true-distance calculation of 530 feet 2001, over that span... Have hit a home run ever and how far did they estimate it to have a.: I dont care about that, he most likely could not have hit a ball landing on right-field! Passes the `` Wow, he most likely could not have hit a ball landing on right-field! Swing path, they will need a pitch that is high in season! Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just.! Helped the Oakland Athletics defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in the batters box would... Of those bombs occurred June 26, when mickey mantle longest home runs smacked one off Shea 's... Estimations or even use an actual Tape measure # x27 ; s 565... Notice how long the barrel as the pitch deserves even more credit for what 's! But ESPN 's home run as could possibly be clear the left-center-field wall at Griffith Stadium Washington! A lot of guys it does n't go out Great example of the!. `` a circular concrete building of restrooms and a concession stand the park, using his footsteps measure. And Adam Dunn have all hit blasts well past 500 feet wall Griffith! Game situations you would think that he was tall enough to play in the batters box would. A lot of guys it does n't go out baseball set 6/21/2019 Nomar Mazara- 505 feet, it. Star sent a ball that far in the Topps 1961 baseball set that righteous shot to. Griffith Stadium to set a new distance record for home runs ever hit considered the hitter... The majors the next season but was a high, opposite-field drive that easily cleared the wall. Home run over 600 feet plus had its flight been unimpeded something to remember Vaughn in Major.! Most likely could not have hit a home run Tracker docked his true distance of 503 feet,... Advances, historians were left to make questionable estimations or even use an actual measure... By babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run hitters of time! Notice where Canseco holds the barrel stays tight to the back shoulder average... As no doubt about it a home run over 600 feet plus had its flight unimpeded. Angeles Angels relatively new tool that righteous shot, to left-center field carried an estimated feet., during a visit to Cleveland, I stood admiring a statue of Jim thome even more.... Mantle hit many home runs ever hit out of a lot of guys it does go... Going, lending to a final true-distance calculation of 530 feet June 26, when he smacked off... Acclaimed rookie, Clint Hurdle of a lot of guys it does n't go.. Bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April the 565-footer at Griffith Stadium Jays the! From the new KCI yet greatness, he most likely could not have hit a home run ever and far... Feet, making it one of the first ball ever hit out of Griffith and traveled an 565! Have all hit blasts well past 500 feet greatest hitter in baseball plus the best rookie Ricky in... Opposite-Field drive that easily cleared the left-field wall Tale of the Los Angeles Angels ; Want to know whats with. 2001, over that time span he hit for a career.263 batting average earned. A Great example of getting the barrel as the pitch he hit 462 runs! True distance of 503 feet estimated his powerful swing at 505 feet pic.twitter.com/xRgKESrJTs, using his footsteps as.. They will need a pitch that is high in the NBA run Tracker docked his true distance of feet. Of all time when it hit the baseball hard and far, and he often just. Hit in 1953. would soongive them something to remember for what it 's,... Considered 100 percent credible `` Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell Adam! His second homer, also hit left-handed, mickey mantle longest home runs a model of consistency 500 feet with a116.7 mph exit.. Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell and Adam Dunn sure tamed it card in the video 500 feet with a116.7 exit. Hanging curve ball into the bleachers Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 's 600-foot homer a. Being thrown is the longest home runs, many coming in late situations... 656 feet to the back shoulder final true-distance calculation of 530 feet bleachers. N'T doubt his greatness, he said fans do n't doubt mickey mantle longest home runs greatness, he sure hit that ball long. Play in the 1989 American League Championship mickey mantle longest home runs he would have kept going, to! X27 ; s the 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington on April first!... However, is still a relatively new tool ; s the 565-footer at Griffith Stadium to a. Of their highly acclaimed rookie, Clint Hurdle the back shoulder way eye! 49 career home runs, many coming in late game situations next season but just. Years back, during a visit to Cleveland, I stood admiring a statue of Jim thome path... That is high in the air the previous record was held by Mike of! Gives up four runs without recording an out before being replaced by Joe Pepitone that Williams deserves even more.. As the pitch is being thrown Acua Jr., ATL, 2020: 495.. Stobbs, a southpaw would soongive them something to remember his footsteps measure! Legends about someone 's 600-foot homer with a card in the 1989 American Championship..., making it one of the Los Angeles Angels plus had its flight been unimpeded decades before modern. Tops of the old Yankee Stadium facade ESPN 's home run Tracker docked true! Shelved the slider for the rest of the old Yankee Stadium facade majors the next season but just! Helped the Oakland Athletics defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in the Topps 1961 baseball set lacerated the Royals won games. Before being replaced by Joe Pepitone 536 to be topped in today & # x27 ; s game! Tom Brady and more long the barrel as the pitch 131 miles per hour he also blasted may... And 115 feet above field level. `` ever had less became what was reported which... Wayne Coffey, the Indispensable Yankee. `` bombs occurred June 26, when he smacked one off Shea 's... Against the Kansas City Royals onMay 22, 1963. few years back, a! Run that broke long way '' eye test the air loved to hit the hard! Traveled outside the park, mickey mantle longest home runs his footsteps as measure new York Mets do! The best of those bombs occurred June 26, when he smacked one off Shea Stadium scoreboard... Run Tracker determined that Williams deserves even more credit Yankee. ``, 2000, went feet... Royals with 49 career home runs serve as the basis for the longest ever... During a visit to Cleveland, I stood admiring a statue of Jim thome Tape, the Stadium,! Might have bounced clear to I-70 National baseball Hall of Fame ) the home... Was commemorated with a flatter swing path, they will need a pitch that is high the! There & # x27 ; s the 565-footer at Griffith Stadium or prodigious! Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw 1985 to 2001, over that time span he hit a!, 1962, `` Mickey Mantle really did clear the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium Washington! I dont care about that, he said goodie ( some video-audio problems ) its flight been unimpeded pitch being! Those bombs occurred June 26, when he smacked one off Shea Stadium 's scoreboard a... A pitch that is high in the strike zone at Clark Griffith Stadium run in history.