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. In 1967, he hit the longest home run in the history of Metropolitan Stadium in . 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. Oliva said it was harder to hit one out at Metropolitan than at the Metrodome. 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. Similarly, Comiskey's left-field roof was also visited by many batted balls, but only one is confirmed to have cleared it on the fly. Yes, Killebrew did it again, the next day. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Quick shipping as well. Based upon that belief, this drive has commonly been estimated at about 620 feet if left unimpeded. Reid, an engineer, estimates the distance in the air as no less than 610 feet, theTampa Bay Times wrote. Sosas home run was hit off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Williams. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images). I saw Frank Howard hit his homer over the left field wall in Tiger stadium. The term tape measure is especially relevant in this instance, since it was popularized on this occasion for the first time. On July 21, 1915, as a rookie with the Boston Red Sox, Ruth struck a prodigious drive that sailed far over the rightfield bleachers at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Reggie was one hell of a master blaster!!!! In the years he played for his hometown team, Kirk Gibson frequently displayed his power. Barry Bonds at Yankee Stadium (June 8, 2002)Has there ever been a more satisfying payoff from a hitter stepping to the plate and doing exactly what everyone hopes he would do? In the case of Nicholson, who was a powerful man, as was Kingman, the figure of 573 feet was provided by "White Sox mathematicians." Ted Williams' most famous home run was his last, No. 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. This one hit the second-deck facade in left-center. A-Gon Goes a-Golfing 19 of 20 Just when we thought we had seen everything from Adrian Gonzalez, here he is hitting the longest home run in the history of PetCo Park, a ridiculous pitcher's. Thats 59 home runs for each team for the entire season. 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. He was an honest, sometimes even self-effacing individual, who was never known to overstate his accomplishments. Excited to work with Vintage Detroit on future orders. Killabrew was in 62. One of the most common question asked here at Baseball Almanac is who hit the longest home run ever. Copyright 1999- Extremely satisfied with the wonderful personable service! But so did Killebrews, Mee said. In: MLB The home run was the 100th of Howards career in his 325th game. 452 Feet - Eric Davis (While playing for the Detroit Tigers) hit a 452 foot shot on Sept. 26th 1993. 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. Fielder nearly swung out of his shoes while fouling off an earlier pitch in the at-bat, prompting the television broadcaster to ponder if Fielder would have hit it out of the stadium had he connected. 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. Note aperture." 18 Sources In addition to the sources mentioned in the notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com and retrosheet.org. It was the 485th home run of his career. Yes, Killebrew stroked titanic blasts on consecutive days in June 1967. Reggie Jackson, Oakland Athletics outfielder - 539 feet, Tiger Stadium. If he had the power to clear the roof by over 100 feet, he surely would have cleared it marginally on many occasions. 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. Their displays of pure power were greeted with passionate enthusiasm, though they did not occur in an actual game. ! I said, Thats where it landed; thats how we measure them.. His 1971 All-Star blast off the light tower atop the right-center-field roof at Tiger Stadium ranks as one of the 10 longest drives in major league history. Mantle was a switch-hitter who was equally powerful from both sides of the plate. Guys, we think . The steel and concrete of the Twins former home amplified every contact. He can still hear the ball . Back then, Oliva said, fans liked to see games that were 3-2, 2-1 or 1-0.. The longest home run ever recorded is a subject of longstanding debate among baseball aficionados. 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. 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. Top 10 Tigers homers of the decade. 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. Yet again, we have an example of a genuinely epic home run that has been grievously overstated. "You guys got to see this kid we have in camp. Dock Ellis was the pitcher, and Jim Palmer is among those who. Reggie Jacksons light-tower shot in the 1971 ASG (July 13, 1971)Has a pinch-hitter ever hit a ball farther? Ruth hit the ball clear out of Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) to center field, a shot Jenkinson estimates would have traveled 575 feet unencumbered, Sports Illustrated recapped. Tiger Stadium was famous for its low roof and a few players have hit balls completely out of the ballpark, but Jackson's 532-foot home run stands as one of the longest on record. update=copyright.getFullYear(); 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. Allen was consistent, hitting 17 home runs for the Cardinals at home and 17 on the road. 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. Martinez, July 21, 2015 (467 feet)This is the standard by which all Comerica Park homers are measured these days. 5:30 pm Darryl Strawberry hitting the large clock at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on October 1, 1985. The Metrodome home run record is owned by Ben Oglivie, who was with Milwaukee when, on July 27, 1983, he parked one about 12 rows back in the upper deck in right-center. Babe Ruth, yellowing newspaper accounts have it, hit a ball out of the old Tiger Stadium in 1926. 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. 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. J.D. 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. The homer had an exit velocity of 111.6 and was Healys tenth home run of the season. Landed in the last few rows one per deck bleachers. Did you know that the SABR book (Home Run Encyclopedia) lists details about every Major League home run hit by every player since 1876? Before he retired after the 1973 season, he had performed even more extraordinary feats of long-distance hitting in the junior circuit. But that massive outfield makes it all the more majestic when sluggers crush tape-measure homers, making this ballpark somehow look small. This home run was hit at Tiger Stadium in Detroit on September 10, 1960. Those are amazing stats, and yet they dont measure to Killebrews 522-foot blast. So with that in mind, here are to date, in game, the longest home runs ever hit in MLB history. While some records may be several decades old, some are recent and fresh to the memory. photo source: sabr.org In Hollywood, California, Dierker was born. Lilly challenged him and Bonds, in the words of broadcaster Jon Miller, hit one to New Jersey. Storys 487-footer from 2018 reached the concourse down the left-field line; Piazza hit the concourse in the left-center power alley. Barry Bonds holds the all-time home run record in Major League Baseball Sadaharu Oh, pictured here in 2006, holds the officially verified all-time world home run record in professional baseball. Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers went through drills and a bullpen session during Spring Training Tuesday, February 14, 2023. 3. Hitters have been going well beyond that for over a decade. 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. Again, the vast talents of Herculean Mickey Mantle have been comprised by individuals who have unwittingly perpetrated a hoax. Boucher of Albany, June 9, 1946, when Ted Williams of Red Sox bounced his longest Boston home run off owner's head. Allen walloped 18 home runs over the 75-foot-high left-field grandstand at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium, but his opposite-field drives to right and right-center fields may have been even more impressive. His regular bombardment of the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium has not been approximated in the 60-year history of that structure. 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. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. The founding fathers decided to reward a powerfully hit ball by allowing the batter to circle the bases for an automatic run. Ruths tape measure mystery is part of the lore surrounding the most famous player of all-time. Martinez last season -- a ball that traveled 466 feet and ended up on top of the camera well in center field. Although I'm not one to argue with science and advanced metrics, Cabrera's home run still . Editors note: This story was originally published on June 29, 2006. Whats the longest home run in every MLB stadium heading into the 2022 season? 4. 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. Since 2015, Nomar Mazara owns the longest homer distance at 505 feet. Not many balls are hit farther than 500 feet, and Killebrews was measured at 522. 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. Later in the same game, Cecil Fielder hit a home run over the left field roof to show Canseco who was stronger. The enigmatic Dick Allen was also one of baseball's greatest long-distance hitters. Nomar Mazara, who played for the Rangers, held the longest home run . Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. In 1962, he became the first of only four batters to hit a ball over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium. As I recall, it was a sunny Sunday afternoon that day. The most common cause for overstatement has been the basic misconception about the flight of a batted ball once it has reached its apex. If confirmed, it would be the longest home run in 2018 by a long shot. On September 25, 2020, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., hit a 495-foot home run to left-center field off Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Mazza. And, how far did it go? This time though, they have to make the ride down 15-501 to the Dean Dome, where they'll . On June 14, 1983, Gibson belted a blast over the right field roof against the Red Sox. One of the greatest quirks in baseball history is that Jimmie Foxx, following immediately in the footsteps of Babe Ruth, was to establish the second-greatest distance legacy in the annals of the game. Who is baseball's mightiest batsman and how far can he hit a baseball? 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. The drive to left had an exit velocity of 109 mph, according to Statcast, and reached the base of the brick wall behind the left-field seats. Arizona Diamondbacks first-baseman Richie Sexson hit a 503-foot home run to center field on April 26, 2004. The distance traveled through the air has been obscured with the passage of time and herein lies an interesting aspect of this subject. Ruth hit the ball clear out of Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) to center field, a shot Jenkinson. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 26: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees at bat during the top of the first inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 26, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. These unidentified individuals based their calculations on the assumption that the ball traveled completely over the left-center-field roof. 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. I seem to recall Big Frank Howard (Hondo) of the Washington Senators, blast one over the left field roof sometime between 1966 and 68 (I think). Acunas homer had an exit velocity of 112.9 mph and was his 14th homer of the season. By his own account he hit the longest home run of his career on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Bonus points for clubbing this off As ace Dave Stewart, when Smoke was near the peak of his powers. And Zoilo (Versalles) hit some long balls, too. 4. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux was pitching for the Chicago Cubs. 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. On September 10, 1960, with two out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. . While those feats would shatter Meyer's mark, there was no technology or tool that could give an exact measure of those distances. 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.