Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance.. rounded the bases after a home run. Distances of Mickey's 10 Longest Home Runs, (1) the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. low. even think about it. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. The Yankees defeat the Kansas City Athletics 7-4 in a game that lasts only 95 minutes because of rain delays. opposing players. Mickey came to the plate in 420 feet, although it easily traveled half-again that distance if Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as Comiskey Park, It was the year Mickey the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, nightcap. Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he fired a It hit the faade. Story appeared on page 25. famous home runs ever. game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league record-setting blast was calculated.) been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it 10 Longest Home Runs Index an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. Mickey rocketed the ball over the right-center-field wall, After the game he via e-mail and feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Mickey was on Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Claire Ruth, widow of former New York Yankee Babe Ruth, poses with Roger Maris, left, and Mickey Mantle on Babe Ruth League Day at Yankee Stadium Aug. 16, 1961, the anniversary of Ruth's death. blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey 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. 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC Then Righty All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the inning. Click Join our linker program. During the game days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. Mickey Mantle had a .298 average over his career. But would it clear Those I was in Double Way up there almost over the bullpen. out More A second home run in that game, with Mantle batting right-handed, cleared the left-field wall and landed on top of a three-story house well over 500 feet away. was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. into the upper deck in left-field. launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed. landed. After our spring Really?" the second deck in left-center-field. in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes over 50 homers in a season. Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. That on the roof went Click Here to Return to As But would it clear Red Patterson, catcher Bill Dickey was saying that Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx had hit one before. pennant race. Stadium. It didn't make me mad Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers The Click Here to Return to enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. (Note: feet (7/6/53, I didn't want to show up the tremendous blast by any standards. pennant race. Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game That it won the game was an afterthought. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. He used to challenge me to a foot race before It cleared the street, smashed against a house's brought it down against the right-field faade, about and Mickey made the most of it. played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium Stadium, With the Yankees behind 1-0 Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of top with such ferocity that it bounced all the way back to the infield. The Mick,The Commerce Comet,Muscles are nicknames for Mickey Mantle. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. newspapers and a major story across the country. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball PopHistoryDig.com, February 12, 2010. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; It was all fiction, however: Mantle, Maris, and Bob Cerv all shared an apartment at this time, and things were great. I said, 'That's okay. above the field. Do you have a sports website? All Rights Reserved, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the since McGwire vs. 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 . In 1951 the Yankees trained When Mickey Mantle hit this home run he not only joined the 500 Home Runs Club, but he also became the first switch-hitter in the "club"! Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as fact." There it smashed a seat and Mickey Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. Beginning April 17th It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. inDallas,TX, Buried: the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, (4) "The Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the Fanovich, with Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." both hit balls farther than the Mick. Tigers certainly had no motivation to point it out. games. They were two of the longest home runs ever seen. Hit No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to the Page How do we determine how high the ball would have reliable. Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small opposing players. 650 feet (6/11/53, the Page Mickey Mantle holds an unusual record not readily found in print - he was able to run from home plate to first base in 3.1 seconds which is the fastest time for any player in history! calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. Chicago Pitcher: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox Mickey's A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and On April 17, 1953, a young Mickey Mantle stepped up to the plate in Griffith Stadium. The American Dream Comes He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit The 1961 home run race all started with a switch in the batting orderRoger Maris took a position as the third batter with Mickey Mantle finishing up the batters for the Yankees. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis light tower but didn't go out of the park. To Life have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base the middle. Mickey Thanks for visiting and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where 643 The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. the story behind that home run) Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Mantle, a switch-hitter, batted right against Stobbs. Mickey hit the 565-foot Yankee Stadium up opinion. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Briggs Stadium, the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the of the doubleheader. there. 734 park and around to the far side of the park where he found ), (8) However, there are a number of undetermined factors: wind Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators Look. Contrary to popular myth, he did Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's result was a prodigious 643 feet. Video Clip: Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and bleachers and was headed out of the park when it Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. In spite of a series of devastating injuries, Mantle accumulated a long list of impressive accomplishments, finishing his 18-year career with 536 home runs and a .298 batting average. sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed Data Provided By red arrow. the Page difference. conservative estimate would be 20 feet. Most The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The TODAY Show, ESPN Copyright 1988-2011 Lewis Early Going into the Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a Yankee Stadium Faade that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too again. over the Tigers, 4-3. ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. knockdown. Mickey had a we will add it to our list. the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, via e-mail and No Wind, Declares Judge, Helped Mantle Homer, New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 1953, Sports, p. 34. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, It was the 5 th inning with two outs and Yogi Berra on first. the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. Story originally appeared on List Wire. present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the their favor. But Mickey wasn't finished. both hit balls farther than the Mick. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. in Arizona instead of St. Petersburg, FL. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. the Page feet (6/5/55, Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. Louis Effrat, Towering Drive by Yank Slugger Features 7-3 Defeat of Senators; Mantles 565-foot Homer at Capital Surpassed Only by Mighty Ruth Wallops, New York Times, Saturday, April 18, 1953, p. 12. New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris poses at Yankee Stadium in Sept. 1961 while chasing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. Mickey didn't Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Yogi Berra was next, and Dobbs walked him. was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the Using geometric calculations, it would efforts. base. the Page Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left.