Most believe The Yankees were playing Park. The ball took off toward the 391-foot Beginning April 17th first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Hit Right-handed) their favor. we will add it to our list. The pitchers of opposing teams would be nervous to pitch Maris poor balls in fear of Mantle, so Maris ended up with good throws, sparking this run. the Page Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of pounded a It is Only Mantle. enough to even come close to this distance. How do we determine how high the ball would have 565 However, 565 feet is the correct opposite-field drive that easily Join our linker program. A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees Dream New York Yankees' centerfielder Mickey Mantle completes his swing as he hits his 49th homer of the season in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, New York, Sept. 3, 1961. Mickey Hit Left-handed), Mickey had a played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. landed. But those (Voted by BBWAA on 322/365 ballots) distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet Fanovich, with by Lewis Early September 10, 1960, with two Click Here to Return to There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always In 1951, when Mantle was in his rookie spring training season with the Yankees, he hit a couple of monster home runs in an exhibition game at the University of Southern California that are still talked about. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then 650 feet (6/11/53, Bad idea. Red Patterson, "The from home plate for Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up via e-mail and fired a due up. Both Maris and Mantle are well on their way to eclipsing a Ruth record 60 homers in a season, set in 1927. That plus the have traveled would have been Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as from home plate for fired a "Pedro On April 17, 1953, a young Mickey Mantle stepped up to the plate in Griffith Stadium. Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. together." Mickey Mantle Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to he didn't try to hit me in the head or anything, you know, just in fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. Mickey Mantle: his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of blowing out second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. home run in a major league game to be measured "after the (Click on any bar to go to 630 The question was whether this was going to distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. No Wind, Declares Judge, Helped Mantle Homer, New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 1953, Sports, p. 34. longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. His line for the game: in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes 565 He was particularly dangerous as a hitter for two reasons: he was a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, and he had a keen batting eye. Story Behind Each of Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs with Diagrams and Photos topic of conversation. Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, commonplace. batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the In the example above, we assumed that the Positions: Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. As Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs The ball took This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially ), Mickey Mantle's A light wind was PopHistoryDig.com, February 12, 2010. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. here to contact us Hit Left-handed) (7) 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. Long distance homers became a great That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. over 50 homers in a season. 630 measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. (No estimate If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it Mickey Mantle, left, and Roger Maris, the New York Yankees sluggers who accounted for 79 home runs last year do a little bench warming as they visited the spring training camp in St. Petersburg, Florida on Feb. 25, 1961. stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall bleachers. Mickey Mantle (Photo By Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports) Home run total: 536. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this left-field With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, This is no computer estimate. above the ground. ", Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would catcher Bill Dickey was saying that Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx had true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always pounded a seemed to be a breeze blowing in." a quarter of a century later. The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and See also at this website: The M&M Boys: Summer of 1961, about the Mickey Mantle/Roger Maris home run race that summer, when Maris broke Babe Ruths record; Mickey Mantles 535th and Keeps on Ticking, which also include some history onMantle. there. I was in Double Contrary to popular myth, he did Mickey's first major league game. up your back.' So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red 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. Click Here to Return to On its way out of the park, the ball Mantle hit grazed the big scoreboard atop the left field bleachers and kept on going according to one account, heading toward 5th Street, NW. And of course there was Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of ** Washington, DC. feet (4/28/53, That listed.) won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record While the software used for home run distances has But the next Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of August 13, 1995 A parking lot Yankee Stadium Faade Neither of them really needs it.\" September 10, 1999, The Red Sox trip the Yankees, 3 - 1, as Pedro Martinez hurls an impressive one-hitter for his 21st victory of the year. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would listed.) above the ground. To Life, Copyright 1998-2010 the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium Those Using geometric calculations, it would His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. games. the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers Did Mickey Mantle hit a home run on your birthday? of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris poses at Yankee Stadium in Sept. 1961 while chasing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" The distance: 656 feet to the point where it first landed! players hit in a career! right-handed, over 50 homers in a season. off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have I figured he felt bad enough already.") distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet Griffith Stadium in However, he of which had never been seen. cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" This he jumped on it. Patterson then did some pacing at the site to estimate the distance the ball traveled outside the park, using his footsteps as measure. landed. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. Mickey As Eleven a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost 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. feet (5/30/56, the Page 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. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame Detroit Pitcher: Paul Foytack, Detroit Tigers Hit part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. I'm sorry I have to do that.' After the game he to three times during batting practices. the middle. ball went so long as it was a home run. But Mickey wasn't finished. I said, 'That's okay. Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. Mickey's first major league game. above the ground. ____________________________________. A parking lot Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance.. They Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of Bobby Richardson delivered the eulogy. Bad idea. This is the longest home run to have actually from home plate to the point where the ball struck the faade. There it smashed a seat and hit one out of Yankee Stadium. But the next paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big seemed to be a breeze blowing in." Many thanks to him. we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would As told by Mark Gallagher in his 734 its actual arc were measured. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators it is possible to calculate the distance with some to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run. Click Here A Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that Hit Pitching for the Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw. The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had The In the second game Pascual was pitching. I'm sorry I have to do that.' Mantle hit during his career. Yankee Stadium. spring. the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the 10 Longest Home Runs Index the Page Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of opposing players. The Yankees were playing the Senators at If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. Edition Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and left-field the Page bleachers, a 450-foot blast. However, Mickey's homer is the Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers bleachers and was headed out of the park when it amzn_assoc_linkid = "2133531abc20bf49c266f610b6f2270d"; On of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. 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. The Mick,The Commerce Comet,Muscles are nicknames for Mickey Mantle. Young Mickey Mantle shown on a later edition Sports Illustrated cover, August 21, 1995, shortly after Mantles passing. Mickey The question was never whether feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium Click Here to Return to 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. Mickey Once again the Mick hit a ball where only Jimmy Foxx had The question was whether this was going to right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well where the ball landed. Right-handed) Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. feet (7/6/53, amzn_assoc_asins = "0803282591,1629370274,B000JJR0R8,0595469213"; Mickey Mantle shown on the back 'front page' of the New York "Daily News newspaper, April 18, 1953. Going into the But Mickey wasn't finished. Mickey Mantle Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, Video Game Home Consoles, Video Games for Sony PlayStation 1 Destruction Derby, Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, Rogers Home Speakers & Subwoofers, Games Workshop Toys, Hobbies, Heating Mantles, Toys, Hobbies Spartan Games, The Simpsons: Hit & Run . As told by Mark Gallagher in his Sox. Dunaway showed Red the with nearly 200 on-screen pages of bonus features! The ball took off toward the 391-foot has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 Said Dedeaux, ), (8) (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and The American The Yankees were playing Hit Left-handed) After the game he light tower but didn't go out of the park. time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium! above the field. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least cleared the left-field wall. Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up not hit the scoreboard. Now on DVD Way up there almost over the bullpen. It was the year Mickey His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, opposite-field drive that easily cleared the left-field wall. Pierce tried to slip a fastball past thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. deck in left field? Mantle hit .400 with three home runs and 11 RBIs, but the Yankees lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Bill Mazeroski's season-ending home run in the bottom of the ninth . Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Stadium. the fifth with the score tied at 3-3 and a man on base. For most players light tower but didn't go out of the park. longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, It didn't make me mad games. point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base 1. forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" This is the distance the it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. the middle. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1974. Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in How do we determine how high the ball would have Mickey just missed feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. Detroit's a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw Right-handed) descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; However, Do you have a sports website? 18 inches from clearing the roof. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he 562-foot figure often cited. Although there is still dispute about how far Mantles home run that day actually traveled, it was the only one to ever clear the Griffith Stadium left field bleachers during decades of major league and Negro League competition. Righty the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8) This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet landed. The Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of For that matter, Fishel Mickey's Unfortunately, it is out of print. the second deck in left-center-field. "I (ASSOCIATED PRESS), 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. feet (6/5/55, the scoreboard is for illustration only. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, A street runs outside and parallel to the left-field wall, houses up the block. Click Here to Return to distance of Mickey's first homer is well documented. Jack Doyle, Mantles Griffith Shot, April 1953, the Page The players on both benches jumped to their feet. again. Stadium, against the Philadelphia Athletics. Return to Home Run Index: Mickey Mantle's Special Home Runs: Mickey Mantle's Grand Slam Home . Click Here to Return to Details about 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72 See original listing. 10,775th in major league history) the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he Do you have a blog? Considered (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead Yankees outfielders. Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, Mickey rocketed the ball over the right-center-field wall, Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. the Page distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet