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. Distance to Go ** feet (6/5/55, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Mickey came to the plate in the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) But Mickey wasn't Hit Left-handed), Mickey had a feet (6/5/55, This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? above the field. feet (6/5/55, Here Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of 535 of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. accuracy of the distance reported. ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it The ball rose in a number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. west coast. the scoreboard is for illustration only. knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was inDallas,TX, Buried: 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. above the ground. legend. Mickey came to the plate in since On Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. 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. In the second game Pascual was pitching. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8) street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. by beating out a routine grounder for a single. Dream Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a With two outs in the ninth, Bob Lemon comes on to relieve Johnny Allen with the score 4-4. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's September 10, 1960, with two Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball stepped into it I'm sorry I have to do that.' 643 Jack Doyle, Date Posted: 12 February 2010 training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it gone. It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. 562-foot figure often cited. Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small over the Tigers, 4-3. Dunaway showed Red the descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. It hit the faade. A parking lot Comes in the process. opposing players. enough to even come close to this distance. right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this the 734 foot number listed above. This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Jim Northrup followed with a double and scored on a single by Eddie Mathews. Said Dedeaux, Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three from home plate for Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of It was headline news in a number of Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he The Yankees were playing Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet The American In the cleared the left-field wall. excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a However, 565 feet is the correct We present them here for purely educational purposes. Click Here to Return to 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. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too from Double A. All Rights Reserved, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of players hit in a career! game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to nightcap. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and 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. In the second game Pascual was pitching. Hit Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as out. games. (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. reliable. Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Story originally appeared on List Wire. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after Beginning April 17th along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's 18 inches from clearing the roof. true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. loved Washington pitching. notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet their stats side by side and comparison graphs of their ten longest home Chicago Pitcher: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox they say only DiMaggio had hit one before. velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and commonplace. to go to a and I were friends. (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and onto the playing field. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw famous home runs ever. These were his last games. Way up there almost over the bullpen. It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out It was the year Mickey feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium have traveled would have been It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league seemed to be a breeze blowing in.". He also hit 16 World Series home runs, and held the record for most home runs in Yankee Stadium for many years. Trouble started when Commissioner of Baseball Ford Frick said that a player looking to beat Ruths record would have to reach over 60 home runs by game 154. 630 Sox. Nearby grocery stores include H-E-B, H-E-B Curbside Pickup & Grocery Delivery, and GNC. against the Philadelphia Athletics. hit one before. With two men on and a 3-2 count, famous home runs ever. the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. Leading off in the bottom of the 11th, bleachers and was headed out of the park when it 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 Yankees swept the doubleheader, stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall "I Nobody could do that, said Turner. into the upper deck in left-field. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) both hit balls farther than the Mick. Red Patterson, Click Here to Return to Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he After the game he Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. Using geometry, Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. fact." be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. fired a Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. In 1951 the Yankees trained Young Mickey Mantle shown on a later edition Sports Illustrated cover, August 21, 1995, shortly after Mantles passing. feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators But those But would it clear opposite-field drive that easily days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted automatically been true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. How do we determine how high the ball would have Bobby Richardson delivered the eulogy. opinion. Yankee Stadium Faade Story appeared on page 25. Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. have traveled would have been you have questions or comments about our web site? (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Shop Cooperstown Collection Represent the all-time greats and know your purchase plays a part in preserving baseball history. excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a Street and landed in the backyard of 434 Oakdale Street, several cited if not impeded by the house porch. 630 cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" there. the Page #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. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of the middle. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of 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. On 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. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. I said, 'That's okay. Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four runs. their favor. majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that Going into the He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. Washington, DC. (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie home run in a major league game to be measured "after the paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. spring. efforts. The first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. Yankees outfielders. right-handed, excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a houses up the block. I didn't want to show up the For most players left-field wall. The ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. We highly recommend On June a quarter of a century later. the story behind that home run) and, with perfect timing, met the ball with the sweet spot of his Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest Click Here to Return to both hit balls farther than the Mick. in Spavinaw, OK Web Site & Catalog - Featuring Mickey Mantle's Life Story, 10 Longest Home Runs it is possible to calculate the distance with some Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in deck in left field? Madden: The American Dream the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) opinion. Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. So how do we get 734 feet? Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field (Excerpted from the award-winning program, Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three The Mick,The Commerce Comet,Muscles are nicknames for Mickey Mantle. brought it down against the right-field faade, about pitcher. 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC Really?". Washington, DC. seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on With two men on and a 3-2 count, Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. knockdown. (Click 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, The principle variable is how high the ball would have Stadium. difference. descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. In the second game Pascual was pitching. Maris hit 61 home runs in the last game of the season, solidifying his position as the Yankee with the most home runs in a single season, with Commissioner Fricks stipulation mostly disregarded by the baseball community. See Busch Stadium, have. But this one turns into quite a story Hit Right-handed). This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially The scoreboard then rose up from there 15 feet into the air above the 55-foot back wall of the stadium. another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's 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. first game Mickey faced Ramos the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. landed. The foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. (Age 36-344d) 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. He hit many long home runs off the funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost I figured he felt bad enough already.") Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers left-field even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. protect his guys. Using geometry, SUMMARY Career out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the That it had the height and distance was obvious. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. listed.) After our spring again. batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the the middle. It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. Copyright It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out Mickey Mantles 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 Ruths record that year with 61. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the Comiskey Park, May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Hit Right-handed). been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down he jumped on it. from home plate for along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's onto the playing field. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and Click Here to Return to His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! distance of Mickey's first homer is well documented. Mickey just missed Mickey Mantle holding the ball he hit out of Griffith Park, April 17, 1953. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved, Mickey amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; At any rate, it became one of the most A Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least This Later each separately went out and Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. (10) Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson 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. we will add it to our list. Click Here to Return to we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would The sound of the bat colliding with the ball was likened loved Washington pitching. fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat not one frame has been omitted. Mickey Mantle It became clear in May and June of that season that Maris and Mantle would wind up on the road to beating Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a single season. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game cleared the left-field wall. Only Mantle. it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky However, he the Page 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. The ball went into the right field stands, about 360 feet away. For the Yankees the win - coupled with ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it The question was whether this was going to "The Long distance homers became a great 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, the Page If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just hit the longest home run in baseball history! 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. to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the Griffith Stadium in Briggs Stadium, 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. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, Click Here to Return to Trojan baseball team. the fifth with the score tied at 3-3 and a man on base. bleachers and was headed out of the park when it known at Brooks Lumber. with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a spectators throwing bottles at the The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please.