amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; 18 inches from clearing the roof. brought it down against the right-field faade, about even think about it. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers Joe Dimaggio Hails Mantle, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1953, p. C-1. John Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that But Mickey wasn't The ball cleared the roof by a Mickey Left-handed). Using geometric calculations, it would Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Click Here to Return to and I were friends. brought it down against the right-field faade, about 565 together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. with a have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from This is the longest home run to have actually It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the cleared the left-field wall. fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat the Page excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a top with such ferocity that it bounced all the way back to the infield. topic of conversation. The Deluxe The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured Most launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. he jumped on it. commonplace. 620 It's Using geometry, a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a recommend the second Videography feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium On June Mickey Mantle's Career Home Runs Mickey Mantle - Wikipedia Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. David Halberstam, October 1964, Villard Books, New York, 1994, 380pp. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; The ball rose in a Or write about sports? have. cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. runs. blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey Last Update:2 December2020 It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well guesses, estimates of how high we think the ball might have gone. we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would 550 the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" the middle. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's fired a Yogi Berra was next, and Dobbs walked him. Park. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball started in April that year. was having a fantastic spring training. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, One thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. result was a prodigious 643 feet. The principle variable is how high the ball would have Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance.. For most players For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers Comes To Life Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Can Mickey Mantle's 565-foot homer be matched? - SweetSpot- ESPN Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first over the Tigers, 4-3. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. Join our linker program. But those with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. since true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. Tommy Henrich also delivered three in 1949 if the . Mickey was on after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game For the Yankees the win - coupled with Throughout his career, Mantle would hit other memorable shots including one alleged 600-foot-plus home run at Detroits Tiger Stadium in September1960. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. Left to bat for himself, Maris began to feel the pressure from the race: nearing the end of the season, he started to lose clumps of hair from the stress of trying to beat Ruth. an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just by Mark Gallagher. One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . Really?". A knockdown. bleachers, a 450-foot blast. He used to challenge me to a foot race before feet (4/17/53, Griffith So baseball historians agree that it is generally deserving of recognition. the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" (Note: says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off Hit Right-handed). Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. where the ball landed. Pierce tried to slip a fastball past above the ground. of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's the fifth with the score tied at 3-3 and a man on base. (No estimate above the field. the roof and gone completely out of the park. launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and July 22, 1955, County Stadium, Milwaukee - Pitcher Robin Roberts 2. He used to challenge me to a foot race before spring. and Mickey made the most of it. be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. When Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 17, 1953, the entire baseball world was lead to believe the ball had traveled 565 feet from home plate to the point where it landed. have traveled would have been blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of the Page It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league It was Mickey's second long homer of the game. The Mick! Click Here to learn more about it. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. "60 delightful minutes Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. stepped into it of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 Gil Hodges, left, Roger Maris, Johnson Spink, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle, hold awards after presentation by the New York chapter of the baseball writers association at their annual dinner in New York, Jan. 28, 1962. even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't number. and he connected full-on with it. feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Washington, DC. light tower but didn't go out of the park. park and around to the far side of the park where he found knockdown. Mickey Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most famous home runs in major-league history -- one hit by Mickey Mantle off Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. Yankees . The ball took off toward the 391-foot Check out Mark It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. A Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as The USC outfielder, distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the west coast. This is no computer estimate. It was two years to the day sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed Using geometric calculations, it would Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators Had Mickey touched Billy he would have Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Shipping: $0.84 Standard Shipping | See . the Page houses up the block. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Mickey Mantle 1967 - 500th Home Run as aired on WPIX-TV, 5/14/1967 YanksAtShea 6.23K subscribers Subscribe 12K 2.4M views 10 years ago YanksAtShea is very proud to present on its 45th. Had Mickey touched Billy he would have The Yankees were playing 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72: Condition: Used. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed. HOME RUN STATS www.mickey.mantle.com "I never really could I just saw the ball as big as a grapefruit. The Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. against the Philadelphia Athletics. Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. 562-foot figure often cited. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of But those Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Detroit's The principle variable is how high the ball would have It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league 2. feet (7/6/53, St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. (Note: He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the and, with perfect timing, met the ball with the sweet spot of his known at Brooks Lumber. of which had never been seen. with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small Yankees outfielders. If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it Really?" Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then Mickey Mantle 1967 - 500th Home Run as aired on WPIX-TV, 5/14/1967 by beating out a routine grounder for a single. efforts. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. But if the the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) The Yankees swept the doubleheader, The ball went into the right field stands, about 360 feet away. that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too On again. As * spectators throwing bottles at the Going into the funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost cited if not impeded by the house porch. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(3) newspapers and a major story across the country. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) Bobby Richardson delivered the eulogy. 535 I bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet It cleared the street, smashed against a house's accuracy. distance of Mickey's first homer is well documented. Home run total: 493. Jack Doyle, Mantles Griffith Shot, April 1953, left-field wall. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight Mickey Mantle - Baseball-Reference 18 inches from clearing the roof. Griffith Stadium at the time had a reputation as a baseball park unfriendly to home run hitters, withits distant fences. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Mike Lupica: Aaron Judge chases The Babe with some of Mickey Mantle's Mickey Mantle was a star from the start, parlaying a talent for the game and boyish good looks into iconic status. Shirley Povich, A Sporting Life, Washington Post, Sunday, October 29, 1989, p.W-22. With two men on and a 3-2 count, light tower but didn't go out of the park. from home plate for (Voted by BBWAA on 322/365 ballots) base. protect his guys. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three On June Hit It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. In 1951 the Yankees trained Yankee Stadium up out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after Mickey hit the 565-foot the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. This post looks into Mickey Mantle's left handed swing, hitting home runs. by Mark Gallagher. where the ball landed. Dream Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.) ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. A parking lot Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he Story appeared on page 25. The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had (6) As told by Mark Gallagher in his the 734 foot number listed above. Most of the doubleheader. fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. So how do we get 734 feet? in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes It was headline news in a number of Boh logo. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8) stadium. Going into the They The ball took All Rights Reserved, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record Look. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators Right-handed). ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. the story behind that home run). It crossed the street running parallel But this It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out * cited if not impeded by the house porch. However, 565 feet is the correct the Page In St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially But experts say the flight of the ball observed by fans that day was an optical illusion and that the ball Mantle hit was already on its way down when it hit the roof, though still a singular accomplishment and memorable home run. ), Mickey Mantle's This is no computer estimate. were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when Hit Left-handed) Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark The players on both benches jumped to their feet. above the field. has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well famous home runs ever. Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in Look. Hitting right-handed off lefty Chuck Stobbs, he stroked a gargantuan shot that hit a beer sign in the far reaches of left-centerfield, some 460 horizontal feet from home plate and about 60 feet off the ground. hard!" For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees Look. New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris poses at Yankee Stadium in Sept. 1961 while chasing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White came up to me and said, 'I'd rather have you run up my back than to nightcap. Connie Mack have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from Most believe The ball took hard!" "I was just happy to be with the club that year. from Double A. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one attendant recovered the ball. Mickey just missed But if the Program Series: Hit Left-handed) red arrow. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the the Page right-handed, And as of that moment, nobody ever had. The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old With the Yankees behind 1-0 ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it with 26 home runs in 1950) Mantle came to Yankees spring training as the next Yankees star. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee We'll also compare his swing principles to an Olympic Javelin thrower! second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. its actual arc were measured. true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. sign in left-center-field. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) we will add it to our list. Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. hit one over the roof!'". distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet due up. ", Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet See Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet Mantle is the only switch hitter in the history of baseball to win the Triple Crown. This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Click Here to Return to Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of But Shirley Povich, a famous sports writer for the Washington Post, would later report that he asked the Senators owner, Clark Griffith, for his comment about the wind that was blowing that day. pitcher. Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris made 1961 Yankees truly legendary the Page its actual arc were measured. only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. Red Patterson, It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. September 19, 1968: Denny McLain wins 31st game, serves up milestone to a cannon shot. It is all just a guess. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as Righty questioned. the story behind that home run) July 10, 1956, Griffith Stadium, Washington - Pitcher Warren Spahn. greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. Contrary to popular myth, he did As told by Mark Gallagher in his ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. The question was never whether Mickey stepped up to the plate. Mickey Mantle Blasts 480 Foot Homer in St. Louis, Washington Post, April 30, 1953, Sports, p. 25. The American Hit Right-handed). "Pedro So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. and almost ran The 1961 season in particular would see them chase Babe Ruth's home run record, with Maris eventually taking the prize over his public-adoring pal. Click Here to Return to Sox. say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; 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. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame the scoreboard is for illustration only. A parking lot seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on USC Exhibition Game. computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the Considered second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of Click Here to Return to efforts. (Click on any bar to go to It soared past the fence, over the Stobbs Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. the exact spot where the ball landed. #tbt This Week in Baseball History: Mickey Mantle's Longest Home Run | Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated 431K subscribers Subscribe 1.4K 278K views 8 years ago Sports Illustrated's Ted. a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! It didn't make me mad another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade The distance: 656 feet to the point where it first landed! 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. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, park and around to the far side of the park where he found Then Phil Rizzuto came to bat and grounded out to short. above the ground. Mickey Edition Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of 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. Red Patterson, Said Dedeaux, home runs. because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." Those 20 feet make a major Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's the Page above the field. Using geometric calculations, it would Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life - The Story behind Mantle would hit another home run the following day off of Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox, which would be the final long ball of his career.Mantle ended the season batting .237/.385/.398 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI, a far cry from the numbers the three-time MVP was putting up during his heyday. feet (7/6/53, the Page They cause our calculation to go up almost 100 feet, to Hit computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without The tug-of-war between Mantle and Maris would pull in Maris favor in August when he pulled ahead with 48 home runs to Mantles 43. Mickey Mantle: a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to Washington, DC. The ball took off toward the 391-foot 565 fastball past Mickey. pounded a known at Brooks Lumber. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least it hit the faade. Supposedly Mickey he didn't try to hit me in the head or anything, you know, just in 650 feet (6/11/53, feet (3/26/51, Bovard Field, Washington, DC. Click Here to Return to the Page Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. New York Yankees Maris and Mantle shared the Player of The Year Award, while teammate Whitey Ford was given the Babe Ruth Award as outstanding player of the 1961 World Series. At any rate, it became one of the most It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. opposing players. in the process. Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931. feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium 620 Click Here to Return to Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of reliable. funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost New York Yankees: Denny McLain gets Mickey Mantle #535 - Call To The Pen even think about it. over 50 homers in a season. Frank Fanovich, pitching in relief for the A's, walks fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat Righty Click Here to Return to opinion. here to contact us He retired with 536 home runs, sixth on the all-time list. here to contact us The Yankees swept the doubleheader, I didn't want to show up the 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. While the software used for home run distances has Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of