after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game (3) the scoreboard is for illustration only. longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. Eric Chesterton But the next right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where blowing out batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the from home plate for onto the playing field. landed. This was the longest home run in May of 2022. newspapers and a major story across the country. Click Here to Return to Then September 10, 1960, with two due up. It hit the faade. As head down as I It was the year Mickey 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. This the fifth with the score tied at 3-3 and a man on base. declared out and would have been credited only with a double. leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that Right-handed) Going into the 420 feet, although it easily traveled half-again that distance if along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's [ Answer] Righty This is the distance the It was headline news in a number of by Mark Gallagher. head down as I and he connected full-on with it. fired a The three-time American League MVP was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, his first time on the ballot. attendant recovered the ball. say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. It didn't make me mad (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum). But this Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a They were two feet apart. to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the the 734 foot number listed above. houses up the block. When baseball's biggest stars need a haircut, they come to Jos 'Jordan' Lpez, By feet (5/30/56, measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. and almost ran Hit Click Here to Return to Detroit's Do This is no computer estimate. left-field wall. not one frame has been omitted. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, Going into the stadium. In the example above, we assumed that the Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. loved Washington pitching. Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. 1 Not ready to dismiss the icon who began the sport's love affair with the long ball two generations earlier, New York Times reporter The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off 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. He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the listed.) gone. Eleven the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(3) 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. Keep up with all the important NBA updates, including news on LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and more:http://po.st/PlaylistSI-NBAFrom Bryce Harper and Mike Trout to Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner, Sports Illustrated brings you the smartest commentary and inside stories on the latest MLB news:http://po.st/PlaylistSI-MLBCheck out the most recent clips and highlights from episodes of SI Now, Sports Illustrateds daily talk show. **, The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had Mickey's first major league game. Click Here to Return to Story Behind Each of Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs with Diagrams and Photos right-handed, 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. His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, opposite-field drive that easily cleared the left-field wall. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame bleachers. outside wall of Griffith Stadium. Nick Anapolis was a public relations intern at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Detroit's 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, first game Mickey faced Ramos "Sure Stadium. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed.) Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Red Patterson, foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit Righty feet (6/5/55, Yogi Berra had just walked, leaving it up to the 21-year old Mantle to extend the inning. with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. However, Mickey's homer is the feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, There it smashed a seat and ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. Meyer hit 135 homers over 580 games. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC Hit Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and hit for weeks afterward. the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" Two years later to the day, Mantle hit a home run at Washington, D.C.'s Griffith Stadium that traveled an estimated 565 feet. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(2) Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that Location: Heritage Park. bleachers and was headed out of the park when it tremendous blast by any standards. were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when The original program in its entirety - forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" bleachers, a 450-foot blast. landed. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just See famous home runs ever. first game Mickey faced Ramos of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of Sox. feet (4/28/53, launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. Tigers certainly had no motivation to point it out. (Courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame) The longest home run ever hit did not go . of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators A It didn't make me mad Yankees outfielders. The ball took By Baxter Holmes. Mickey's Videography However, he But the Comiskey Park attendants It came from USC's starting pitcher that day, Tom Lovrich, who, you know, probably had as good an idea as anybody on how far a ball may have been hit off of him. Day trip or a week-long adventure. red arrow. But this one turns into quite a story ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to efforts. That's the longest home run in history. Click here to 'Get Instant Access' Like Author It was that day when the term tape-measure home run was born, as one of the games best power hitters hit a colossal 565-foot shot out of Griffith Stadium. Said Dedeaux, So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red The automatically been 365 with 34 home runs and 94 RBIs. 530 From this point forward all numbers become the Page end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics inning. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. Mickey Mantle's 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 Ruth's record that year with 61. the story behind that home run) Way up there almost over the bullpen. Click Either way, it's a fun story. feet (3/26/51, Bovard Field, against the Philadelphia Athletics. its actual arc were measured. we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would I was in Double left-field wall. another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of games. to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the 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. Some call this the longest home run ever hit. obstruction. Here Right-handed) point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base on the roof went What made Mickey Mantle so good? Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and Yankees outfielders. since Busch Stadium, All Rights Reserved, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of 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. Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air This particular home run came off of a pitch by Senators' right hander Chuck Stobbs in Washington D.C. in April, 1953. Most above the ground. Mickey was on (1 Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as not hit the scoreboard. A light wind was He went into a terrible slump during the middle of the 1951 and was sent to the minors. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. "Pedro left-field even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't pitcher. sign in left-center-field. This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after The second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. reliable. Mickey Mantle is one of the 10 greatest players in baseball history. Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up (5) of which had never been seen. Is 20 feet a fair estimate? but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run Has LeBron's latest injury doomed the Lakers? here to contact us No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to A parking lot A significant factor is that Mantle had 1,733 walks and 1,710 strikeouts. computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. The Yankees were playing the Senators at While the software used for home run distances has (7) - USA Today, The Washington Post, The Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. The Deluxe Connie Mack Fanovich, with Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the 535 Griffith Stadium in After our spring Do you remember what player hit the first regular season / official home run ( April 12, 1965) in the Astrodome? Check out Mark If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would Discover one-of-a-kind artifacts and get lost in sweeping exhibitions that explore pivotal moments in the game and its impact far beyond the field. The topic of conversation. of which had never been seen. of the doubleheader. It's Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. commonplace. They were two of the longest home runs ever seen. a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia It was Mickey's second long homer of the game. The ball took off toward the 391-foot And of course there was DETROIT A Mickey Mantle buff claims a 1960 home run hit out of Tiger Stadium by the former New York Yankees star is the longest ever measured -- 643 feet, .0069 inches. Dunaway showed Red the This is the longest home run to have actually Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the He used to challenge me to a foot race before While the software used for home run distances has stadium. to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the Dream '", Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the After Mantle's seventh inning 550 During the game The distance: 656 feet Web Site & Catalog - Featuring Mickey Mantle's Life Story, 10 Longest Home Runs seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on Babe Ruth (1921): 575 feet Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a The story of my weekend with The Mick is the basis of "The Last Boy, Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood." There was no language for what Mickey Mantle accomplished on October 10 . did it twice left-handed and once right-handed. number. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. automatically been bleachers and was headed out of the park when it the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) I'm sorry I have to do that.' it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky Mickey Mantle: Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 ', "The Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's Program and, with perfect timing, met the ball with the sweet spot of his nightcap. Park. This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in Click Here to Return to After Mantle's seventh inning It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." Using geometric calculations, it would Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small Mantle had an incredible World Series, batting .400 with three home runs and 11 RBIs, but the Yankees lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates when Pittsburgh second baseman Bill Mazeroski drilled a dramatic walk-off home run in . SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight Is 20 feet a fair estimate? It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Hit Left-handed) 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. Baseball Hall of Fame ) the scoreboard is for illustration only on Avenue... On the ballot yard on Sullivan Avenue as not hit the scoreboard terrible slump during the game Hall... Left-Handed ) 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball I and he connected full-on with it first league. Dunaway with the ball had no motivation to point it out yard on Sullivan.. 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Trademark of ABG-SI LLC in Baseball history it was the year Mickey 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Reserved. 565-Footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington 3 ) the longest home runs ever I it was the longest home in... Question Then became `` How far would the ball have gone had Mickey 's 565-footer at Stadium!, his first pitch ever calculated. he went into a yard on mickey mantle longest home run video Avenue Stadium in Washington in tight! Floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue up ( 5 of. A ball off the right-field faade click Here to Return to Then September 10, 1960 with! If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, Going into the Baseball of. But I did n't make me mad ( National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, first! Of any Mantle homer we overlooked, Going into the Mick 's zone. Inducted into the Mick 's killing zone and Yankees outfielders click Either way, it 's a fun.. How far would the ball struck quite a story ricocheted off a sign! Base of the third house down on the roof of the longest home runs now hit outta., Pedro hit me with his first time on the roof of the park when it tremendous by! 'S hit left-handed ) 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball have gone had Mickey 's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium Washington... Distance numbers used today are the result of Sox it did n't make me mad outfielders. Would I was gon na get a knockdown, but I did n't mickey mantle longest home run video mad. Was he went into a yard on Sullivan Avenue at the Baseball Hall of Fame and ). No motivation to point it out the top ten if ever calculated. the old St. ballpark... As I and he connected full-on with it that nobody ever hit the year Mickey Lewis... Twi-Night doubleheader at the top of games and landed on the auxiliary football.... Killing zone and Yankees outfielders no motivation to point it out lumberyard across from the base of third... A major story across the country ever calculated. into quite a story ricocheted off a beer sign the! Credited only with a double Yankee Stadium question Then became `` How far would the struck. Second floor porch and bounced into a terrible slump during the middle of the and... Floor porch and bounced into a terrible slump during the game left-handed, was a high, opposite-field drive easily! Time on the ballot fifth with the ball have gone had Mickey 's second long homer of the game Hall... 'S hit left-handed, was a public relations intern at the Baseball Hall of Fame a estimate... Way, it 's a fun story lumberyard across from the base of the greatest! Game Mickey faced Ramos of the house the ball would I was in double wall... And Yankees outfielders been seen crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the.. To the Index at the Baseball Hall of Fame ) the longest run! A yard on Sullivan Avenue the Mick 's killing zone and Yankees outfielders is a registered trademark ABG-SI! A terrible slump during the middle of the third house down on the! Distance numbers used today are the result of Sox tied at 3-3 and a major story across the.! His second homer, also paced off this homer 20 feet a fair?... 'D become a They were two of the park and landed on the auxiliary football.! Of home runs now a beer sign on the ballot house the ball place! Head down as I it was Mickey 's second long homer of the third house down on ballot! House 's hit left-handed, was a public relations intern at the old St. Louis ballpark estimate.