As of 1995, the Mantle of baseball's longest hitter can probably best be worn by Cecil Fielder. There should be no doubt about the authentication of these conclusions. The second one was Gibbys blast in 1983, when some friends and I got bleacher tickets, and sat dead center, giving us a great view of the ball as it sailed out of the ballpark. In truth, that figure derived from the distance from home plate to the place where a neighborhood child retrieved the ball. And then, wouldnt you know it, big Cecil did just that. McGowan didnt bother looking. The same process was at work for Mantle on September 10, 1960, in Detroit, where his right-center-field rooftopper was reported to have traveled more than 600 feet. This is dramatized by the fact that Connor's blow was the only home run he would hit that season. Why then would anyone care how far they go? I saw Jason Rooftop Thompson hit one out of Tiger Stadium over right center field off of Dick Tidrow of the Yankees. It is due to his immense popularity and constant involvement in the tape measure process that he is often thrust into the muddle of misrepresentation. The greatest confirmed home run distance in Major League Baseball is about 575 feet (175 m), by Babe Ruth, to straightaway center field at Tiger Stadium (then called Navin Field and prior to the double-deck), which landed nearly across the junction of Trumbull and Cherry. One of the major highlights as a kid back then was that game and especially that Jackson blast that Curt Gowdy called for a national viewing audience. They did not or could not find a way to further reward the batter who hit a ball significantly farther than the established home run distance. When Kingman launched his wind-aided blow in Chicago, The New York Times somehow concluded that it had flown 630 feet. Shoutout is also due to Dave Kingman, who knocked one into a front yard on Kenmore Avenue in a 23-22 loss to the Phillies on May 17, 1979. From interviews with the surviving source of the original data, it is readily apparent once again that the all had bounced several times before it reached the estimated distance. The aforementioned fictional home run could have been reported at 550 feet in a prominent newspaper, and re-created at that length by historians for years thereafter, when in fact it traveled about 100 feet less. On Sept. 27, 2008, Adam Dunn hit the longest home run of the last 6-plus major-league seasons, a 504-foot home run off the scoreboard in center field at Chase Field in Phoenix. As late as 1960, Teddy Ballgame was still going strong, when he opened the season in Washington with a 475-foot bolt to right-center field. On September 17, 2019, Miguel Sano hit a 496-foot home run to left-center field off Chicago White Sox pitcher Ross Detwiler. Privacy Policy In his first season wearing the Old English D, Big Daddy hit 51 homers. That was the start of modern long-distance hitting, and it is a testimony to Ruth's uniqueness that he was able to set objective standards of performance that have never been surpassed. This one hit the second-deck facade in left-center. I was at a game when Frank Catalonatto hit a ball onto the RF roof down the line, but the ball rolled back off the roof and fell on the field. These were not temp help that knew nothing these were professionals who knew not just everything but were truly looking out for me. Where was it hit? Reggie Jackson, Oakland Athletics outfielder - 539 feet, Tiger Stadium. This time though, they have to make the ride down 15-501 to the Dean Dome, where they'll . photo source: sabr.org In Hollywood, California, Dierker was born. The Babe cranked an exhibition game dinger there that traveled over the left-center field fence and into a moving train. 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. This was the second, as he jumped on a 3-2 fastball from then-Marlins pitcher Dustin McGowan and hit it off the base of the brick wall behind the seats. It has been confirmed that the ball struck against the third house beyond Waveland Avenue, which is situated about 530 feet from home plate. - Bill Dickey. By his own account he hit the longest home run of his career on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. "You guys got to see this kid we have in camp. What is the highest mountain in the world? On August 10, 2004, Cincinnati Reds left fielder Adam Dunn hit a 535-foot home run to center field off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jose Lima. Did Ted Williams red-seat blast really clear 500 feet? The Big Unit put this pitch on the outer half of the plate, and McGwire still pulled it to the back wall of the Kingdome. A few times, he was able to send the baseball up and out of Tiger Stadium with his left-handed swing. On May 4 of that year, Williams cleared the towering right-field grandstand in Detroit and served notice that he was as powerful as he was refined with a bat in his hands. 3. Reportedly, the baseball landed across the intersection of Cherry and Trumbull. Lynne asked what I was interested in and presented me with a great selection of Tigers caps and T-shirts. The blast had an exit velocity of 111.6 to right-center field. Cecil Fielder takes a gingerly stroll on the roof of Tiger Stadium in 1993. The blast still stands over 40 years later as the longest homerun in MLB All-Star game history. While unconfirmed by the Tigers, it might've been . What are your home run memories of Tiger Stadium? however, subsequent investigation indicated that the ball landed on the back of the roof before bouncing into the night. If confirmed, it would be the longest home run in 2018 by a long shot. It was the 26th homer of the 2015 season. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images). Must have been 1977 or 1978. Houston Astros Jake Marisnick hit a 469-foot home run to center field off Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price on June 18, 2017. Allen could not hit with the same power in those directions as when he pulled the ball, but he seems to have lost less distance than almost anyone else when hitting to the opposite field. Almost everyone in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it was interrupted in midflight by the roof structure. 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. Not surprisingly, all of the great true distance hitters have also been the source of the greatest exaggerations. ESPN's Home Run. 3. In the years he played for his hometown team, Kirk Gibson frequently displayed his power. If he had the power to clear the roof by over 100 feet, he surely would have cleared it marginally on many occasions. 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. I was a little concerned it would let look as good as I hoped, but when I put it on, I loved it. What a great game! Years after the fact, Brouthers was credited with a 500-foot home run on the aforementioned date, but it seems highly unlikely that the ball traveled nearly that far. 50 years ago today, Harmon Killebrew hit his, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window), 50 years ago today, Harmon Killebrew hit his longest home run, A look at MLBs new rules and how they will affect the Twins, Getting reliever Jorge Lpez back on track key task for Twins, Jose Miranda pulls out of World Baseball Classic, per reports, Twins prospect Edouard Julien makes an impression at the plate, Jaw wired shut, Twins prospect Jordan Balazovic returns to baseball activities, Twins starter Pablo Lpez, soon off to compete in WBC, sharp in first spring start, John Shipley: Timing on Lindsay Whalen decision seems odd, Hastings delivers improbable rally to stun defending champ St. Michael-Albertville in 3A wrestling final, Boys hockey: Hill-Murray stops Gentry Academy, earns another trip to state, Two graduates allege in lawsuits sexual groping by fellow students, frat-like culture at St. Thomas Academy, How much is too much? By his own account he hit the longest home run of his career on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Estimates on this baby began at 579 feet before being lowered to 529 and then 468, almost as if no one believed a baseball could really be hit that far. Few people like the response given because, unlike other baseball stats, it is the farthest thing from perfect as illustrated by this superb article called Long Distance Home Runs written by William J. Jenkinson. Allen was consistent, hitting 17 home runs for the Cardinals at home and 17 on the road. The first time, though, was in 1977, when Jason Thompson clubbed one out, literally seconds after my dad told me I think Thompson is gonna crush one out of the stadium. Guys, we think . Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa hit a 484-foot home run to left-center field on April 12, 2002. This one went over the left field roof, off Oaklands Dave Stewart. Regardless, do we really need any excuse to revisit some classic dingers? Brouthers rocketed a rising line drive that cleared the fence in distant right-center field, and reportedly rolled another two blocks. One of the most common question asked here at Baseball Almanac is who hit the longest home run ever. Juan Gonzalez and Ken Griffey, Jr. were the most widely discussed participants at Baltimore's 1993 All-Star celebration, though neither player did anything heroic in the game itself. Kight always stopped what he was doing when Killebrew was at the plate, but even he didnt guess where this one would wind up. Well, the whole Yankees roster did in 1929 for an exhibition against Sing Sing Correctional Facility inmates. The seat later was painted bright orange to stand out in the sea of green seats and remained there until the old Met was torn down after the Twins moved to the Metrodome in 1982. Own This Day - https://thebaseballpage.comSeptember 10, 1960 - Mickey Mantle unloads a cannon shot clearing the RF roof in Detroit and landing in Brooks Lumb. Not only did he set distance records in every major league ballpark (including National League stadiums where he played only infrequently), he also set similar standards in hundreds of other fields, where he made exhibition and barnstorming appearances. The ball landed. The blast was the first of his career. 15 15. While some memorable drives predate Statcast, such as Carlos Penas drive to the right-center-field concourse in 2005 or Wily Mo Penas estimated 454-foot drive to left in 2011, here are the five longest homers in Comerica Park since Statcast became the standard in 2015: Long gone! Despite the scarcity of film on Ruth, we can still make definitive evaluations of the approximate landing points of all of his 714 career home runs. - The University of Missouri baseball team will open its first home series of the 2023 season this weekend at Taylor Stadium, hosting Texas Southern for a three-game set consisting of two seven-inning games on Saturday (March 4) and a 1 p.m. contest Sunday (March 5). 3. Sadly, the COVID pandemic denied fans the chance to marvel at this drive in person, save for the few fans enjoying dinner atop the Detroit Athletic Club across the street. Determining the longest homer ever in MLB history is an exercise in myth-busting. Ted Williams' most famous home run was his last, No. Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson is said to have actually cleared that old park in the Bronx. With the guidance of our scientific brethren, we know that once a batted ball has reached its highest point and lost most of its velocity, it falls in a rapidly declining trajectory. & quot;According to the Detroit Free Press book "The Corner", the following have hit HR's out of Tiger Stadium: Norm Cash (did it 4 times) Mickey Mantle (did it 3 times) Kirk Gibson (did it 3 times) Jason Thompson (did it twice) Mickey Tettlton (did it twice) Tony Clark . The center field home run was Confortos 13th homer of the season. The vast popularity of major league baseball's home run hitting contest before the annual All-Star Game is ample evidence that we remain enamored of the players blessed with unique levels of power. A table displaying leaders in Statcast metrics such as Sweet Spot % (SwSp%), Barrels, Exit Velocity (EV), Batted Ball Distance (DST), Projected Home Run Distance (HR-DST), Launch Angle (LA) and Batted Ball Events (BBE) . Amazingly, many of those records remain unequaled, which is to say that Ruth is a true athletic anachronism. 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. Almost predictably, it is not the winners of the formal contest who receive the greatest admiration. Though its difficult to get an official handle on home run distances, the clout would rank, by any measure, among the longest of all time. A short while later I left with a new cap and a custom Fidrych T-shirt. Tim Hagerty is the broadcaster for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, and is on Twitter at @MinorsTeamNames. Stanton hit a ball in the Coors Field, one of the highest . The longest home runs hit at Comerica Park January 7th, 2021 Jason Beck @ beckjason Comerica Park is big enough all around that there are no cheap home runs. Shipping Service Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Martinez hit the longest home run in Comerica Park history last season at an estimated 467 feet. In: MLB Reggie came off the bench in the 1971 Midsummer Classic and golfed a ball off Pirates righty Dock Ellis that traveled an estimated 530-some odd feet. Returns & Exchanges As I approached the area I quickly realized I was in more an industrial & commercial area then retail. Mantle is generally credited with the longest home run of all time, a clout that left Tiger Stadium on Sept. 10, 1960, and landed in a lumberyard across the street. Where was the longest home run ever hit at Yankee Stadium? In 1921 there was no SportsCenter, no 24-hour highlight machine called the Internet. None other than Darren Holmes, the Rockies pitcher who coughed it up, estimates that this ball went probably 560 feet -- off a changeup, no less. Note aperture." 18 Sources In addition to the sources mentioned in the notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com and retrosheet.org. Enjoy the dingers. In 1962, he became the first of only four batters to hit a ball over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium. 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. On June 23, 2015, Miami Marlin Giancarlo Stanton hit a 479-foot home run to left-center field off of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez. We look at the farthest home runs hit in MLB history, with videos of some of the longest home runs ever hit. . I saw Frank Howard hit his homer over the left field wall in Tiger stadium. 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. Accounts from the time say the ball came to rest on the banks of the Ohio River, meaning Dunn was potentially feet away from hitting a ball to Kentucky. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Lynn worked with me to swap out to something similar excellent customer service. There were some very big hitters in the American League, but that was unbelievable.. No player has ever cleared the left field roof. 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. A local youngster finally ran it down some 825 feet from home plate. Nomar Mazara, who played for the Rangers, held the longest home run . The baseball traveled past the flag pole located in deep center field, over the head of Charles Chick Shorten, over the lower deck, which undoubtedly had only a smattering of fans, and out onto the street. I also saw Reggie Jackson with the As strike out about 3 times late in the 1969 season at Tiger Stadium. The decade of the fifties was particularly blessed with the presence of many great sluggers, who should be mentioned in any discussion of long hitters. During Mantle's rookie season in 1951, he had struck several impressive drives, but it was not until he cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Griffith Stadium two years later that he was crowned as the new King of the Tape Measure. 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. Since 2015, Nomar Mazara owns the longest homer distance at 505 feet. That's not a little guy right there, and he was always known for great length on home runsbecause he liked hitting them that way and frequently . Hyperbole has always been part of the phenomenon of long-distance home runs, and this factor must also be considered. Lilly challenged him and Bonds, in the words of broadcaster Jon Miller, hit one to New Jersey. 5. Ruths barnstorming team traveled to Fort Wayne shortly after the Yankees won the 1927 World Series. 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. The homer had an exit velocity of 112.1 mph was Harpers 12th of the season. Detroit's Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Giancarlo Stanton, 504 Feet (2016) Since the installment of technology, Giancarlo Stanton's home run is the longest homer ever recorded. 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. Excited to work with Vintage Detroit on future orders. Yet again, we have an example of a genuinely epic home run that has been grievously overstated. On June 29, 2018,, Seattle Mariners Mike Zunino hit a 470-foot home run to left field off Kansas City Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy. It was one of the longest home runs anybody has ever seen, reportedly up to 539 feet from home plate. Anything in the 500-foot range is genuinely historic. Entering the 1970s, Reggie Jackson was already established as one of the best ever. Their displays of pure power were greeted with passionate enthusiasm, though they did not occur in an actual game. On June 2, 2017, Manny Machado hit a 465-foot home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello. J.D. It was a rarity. Any drive over 400 feet is noteworthy. Almost all of the players on the field, and everyone in the home-plate area, including the press box, swore that the ball was still ascending when it hit the roof. Tampa, Fla. Ruth was wearing a Red Sox spring training uniform when he drove a 587-foot round-tripper on April 4, 1919 in Tampa. He had 107 home runs in his four-season career. Did you know that the SABR book (Home Run Encyclopedia) lists details about every Major League home run hit by every player since 1876? Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. That ball is measured at 634 feet by the Guinness Book of World Records, but few really believe it went that far on the fly. This feat was accomplished at a time before home runs were hit with enough frequency to be considered a regular part of the game. His tremendous blow to right-center field in Detroit on June 8, 1926, has often been reported as traveling over 600 feet. Martinez, July 21, 2015 (467 feet)This is the standard by which all Comerica Park homers are measured these days. He can still hear the ball . San Diego Padres Franmil Reyes hit a 479-foot home run on June 5, 2018, against Atlanta Braves pitcher Luke Jackson. By looking back, we can confirm the preoccupation with long-distance hitting in the early stages of baseball history. As a kid in May 1967? All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. The City of Wilkes-Barre built a permanent display in Kirby Park honoring Ruths prodigious Pennsylvania poke. TheNew York Post called it his longest-ever home run.. And Zoilo (Versalles) hit some long balls, too. George Kight says it was easy to tell how well a ball was hit at the old Metropolitan Stadium. During the 1971 All-Star Game from Detroit's Tiger Stadium "Mr. October" delivered a massive game changing three-run homer to right field that cleared the entirety of the stadium's impressively high standing bleachers. 460 . Only one is honored at the Mall of America, where a stadium seat mounted in the malls amusement park marks the spot where his long homer landed in the upper deck. I'm here to drive home runs. The distance traveled through the air has been obscured with the passage of time and herein lies an interesting aspect of this subject. It was heresy to suggest that Ruth's accomplishments could be surpassed, but for a few seasons it appeared that Foxx might do just that. The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder crushed a pitch on Thursday night which was reported as being 489 feet, the longest home run hit at the new iteration of Busch Stadium. The homer was Gallos 23rd of the season. Thank you so much, I can't wait to wear my jersey to a Wings game! Kingman hit a famously long homer on April 14, 1976, at Wrigley Field. Check the home run lengths of all seventy Mark McGwire blasts and all sixty-six Sammy Sosa's shots in the fabulous feats section. 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. Reggie Jackson was the player who hit one over the right field roof while playing for the California Angels during the May 15, 1984 game at Tiger Stadium. Is there a logical explanation for that behavior?