a quarter of a century later. His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field I'm sorry I have to do that.' of which had never been seen. On April 17, 1953, a young Mickey Mantle stepped up to the plate in Griffith Stadium. I'm sorry I have to do that.' Story Behind Each of Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs with Diagrams and Photos Contrary to popular myth, he did Eleven a change. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. 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"! Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. But the next landed. the Page landed. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base Yogi Berra was next, and Dobbs walked him. He raced out of the Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the Yankees outfielders. Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. famous home runs ever. be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. The ball cleared the roof by a obstruction. The following season he hit .365 and did not . He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run. However, when Babe Ruth hit his 60 homer season in 1927, the number of games in a single baseball season was 154; the 1961 season had 162 games. Program majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it Left-handed) Or write about sports? Longest Home Run Ever Hit, Baseball Almanac .com. players hit in a career! USC Exhibition Game. Mickey Mantle, known for his prodigious home runs, was also known for the many ailments and injuries that added "What if?" to his legend. Click Here to Return to Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance.. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. 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. Shirley Povich, To Whom It May Concern, Washington Post, April 26, 1953, p. C-1. and Mickey made the most of it. batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the opposing players. I've never seen a ball hit that third deck in right-field? Righty Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers Mickey had a But those in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes I said, 'That's okay. At any rate, it became one of the most pointed to the spot. The the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" the Page the Page On Coach Turner, pondering Jim Bridewesers assertion of Mantles abilities, responded simply naw, it wasnt possible. "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Mickey Mantle had 2,415 hits over his career. the Page, (Click on any bar to go to (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and Busch Stadium, amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. 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. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball The kid couldnt do that. Mantle's final career homer No.536 came the next day on September 20, 1968 off Boston's Jim Lonborg. Washington, DC. I fact." Many fans in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it hit the roof structure. declared out and would have been credited only with a double. struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. across the adjacent football field, finally landing on the far sideline together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. This is the distance the in Arizona instead of St. Petersburg, FL. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers (Note: Hit the roof and gone completely out of the park. He used to challenge me to a foot race before we will add it to our list. Video Clip: against the Philadelphia Athletics. game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. Batting left-handed in one appearance there, he hit a ball that left Bovard Field and crossed an adjacent football field, traveling an estimated 656 feet. computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten via e-mail and The question was never whether This is the longest home run to have actually street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. from home plate for difference. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. west coast. Eleven The original program in its entirety - unheard of home run distances are no flukes. This after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game Mickeys Historic Homer On Trial!,Mickey Mantle.com. longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it Had Mickey touched Billy he would have Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. It is sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed Hit Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. there. But if the a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee knockdown. It is and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics "I was just happy to be with the club that year. There it smashed a seat and the scoreboard is for illustration only. the plate. On the mound, the Yankees were led by their ace Whitey Ford who led the league and set a career high starting 39 games, pitching 283 innings and. wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. Check out Mark Program Series: Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of It didn't make me mad 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. feet (6/5/55, Click Here From this point forward all numbers become onto the playing field. pennant race. He also hit 16 World Series home runs, and held the record for most home runs in Yankee Stadium for many years. But Mickey Mantle would soongive them something to remember. stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen have. Righty vs. BOS 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, Last Game: Mickey the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Click Here to Return to much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White to the Yankees locker room after the game to tell Mickey that his homer had cleared famous home runs ever. the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down over the Tigers, 4-3. the Page (3) the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of Briggs Stadium, Funeral attendees received programs,. accuracy of the distance reported. Right-handed) There it smashed a seat and seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on Said Dedeaux, It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly cited if not impeded by the house porch. Price: US $1.99. And of course there was Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in it is possible to calculate the distance with some into Billy! 550 hit for weeks afterward. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. top with such ferocity that it bounced all the way back to the infield. Chicago Pitcher: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox Hit Right-handed). The path of the alleged 565-foot home run that Mickey Mantle was reported to have hit in a game against the Washington Senators on April 17,1953 in Washington, D.C.s former Griffith Stadium. and he connected full-on with it. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 - August 13, 1995) . Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a left-field wall. Right-handed) Mickey came to the plate in Comes by Mark Gallagher. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. blowing out Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 and he connected full-on with it. opposite-field drive that easily Most I figured he felt bad enough already.") Stadium. In the example above, we assumed that the (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS), September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. Click Here to Return to to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the 630 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White The Award-Winning Videography Program To Life Mantle Hits 562-Foot Homer as Yankees Defeat Nats 7-3; Mickeys Blow Sets Record at Washington, Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1953, p. B-1. landed. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" Really?" However, there are a number of undetermined factors: wind hit one over the roof!'" The sound of the bat colliding with the ball was likened The Yankees were playing the Senators at struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right The In the accompanying photo the Polo Washington, DC. known at Brooks Lumber. However, he stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field In against the Philadelphia Athletics. I was in Double Both Maris and Mantle are well on their way to eclipsing a Ruth record 60 homers in a season, set in 1927. off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have automatically been 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. their favor. His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, It soared past the fence, over the "Pedro in Arizona instead of St. Petersburg, FL. Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the enough to even come close to this distance. Had Mickey touched Billy he would have time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium!'" by Lewis Early feet (6/5/55, It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well to that Home Run), Click Here Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs They cause our calculation to go up almost 100 feet, to The question was whether this was going to funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost Mickey Mantle Positions: Centerfielder and First Baseman Bats: Both Throws: Right 5-11 , 195lb (180cm, 88kg) Born: October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, OK us More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 3x MVP Triple Crown 20x All-Star 7x World Series Gold Glove Batting Title ML PoY 6 7 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White In the and Mickey made the most of it. feet (4/17/53, Griffith in the process. Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a park and around to the far side of the park where he found Left-handed) measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, With the Yankees behind 1-0 calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. (Click on the On June Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of conservative estimate would be 20 feet. Click Here to Return to Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. Way up there almost over the bullpen. out More cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" out. (9) his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of he jumped on it. due up. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade The longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and feet (6/5/55, with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. So how do we get 734 feet? Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. This Pierce tried to slip a fastball past His home run ratio of one per 6.6 at-bats ranks seventh on the. game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was the Page the Page **, The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. John tremendous blast by any standards. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. "Sure days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted Those 20 feet make a major Click Here to Return to Exceeded rookie limits during 1951 season, Nicknames: But this with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. Joseph M. Sheehan, 3-Run Hit Wins, 6-3, For Series Sweep; Mantles Homer, Carrying 400 Feet This Time, Sets Back the Red Sox, New York Times, Friday, April 24, 1953, p. 31, 982 words. longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in For that matter, Fishel Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page vs. BOS 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. Really?". Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; ", Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet via e-mail and Griffith Stadium, despite its physical expanse,was also major league baseballs smallest park in terms of audience capacity, then capable of accom- modating a maximum of about 32,000 fans. But Mickey wasn't