In 1921, major league teams averaged 59 home runs. While unconfirmed by the Tigers, it might've been . Miguel Cabrera hit one of the longest home runs in Comerica Park history in the first inning of Monday night's game against the Seattle Mariners. His slender physique belied his subtle strength and natural ability to generate bat speed. It should be noted that those regular references over the years to 500- and 600-foot home runs were born out of scientific ignorance, misinformation, or even deliberate exaggeration. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. As late as 1960, Teddy Ballgame was still going strong, when he opened the season in Washington with a 475-foot bolt to right-center field. The homer, which had an exit velocity of 107.8 mph, was Marisnicks eighth of the season. One of the hardest ever at the corner was a blast by Jimmie Foxx deep into left center, just to the left of the center field scoreboard. Mantle was a switch-hitter who was equally powerful from both sides of the plate. . You didnt even have to see it; the crack of the bat said it all. Cecil Fielder at Tiger Stadium (Aug. 25, 1990)The roof at the old Tiger Stadium was one of the most time-honored and imposing challenges for right-handed launchers, but it was bested in style by Detroits hulking slugger. Thirty-one years in newspapers, 20 with the Pioneer Press. It was not until Babe Ruth came upon the scene that we can find confirmed accounts of batted balls that can favorably compare with any hit during subsequent generations. The 92.3 mph fastball had a 108.9 mph exit velocity off Goldschmidts bat. Seeing great drives land atop distant upper-deck roof, sportswriters observing the occurrence from a press box would resort to their limited skills in mathematics without any regard for the laws of physics. 5/5 Clemson Tigers split action on Saturday morning at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Florida. The new parks are smaller, built for power hitters to entertain todays fans. Awed by such a demonstration of power, the writers would then describe the event for posterity as a 500-and-some-foot home run. I put the location into google maps off I went. Giancarlo Stanton hit the longest home run ever made in Coors Field to date when he played against the Rockies in 2016. The seat later was painted bright orange to stand out in the sea of green seats and remained there until the old Met was torn down after the Twins moved to the Metrodome in 1982. - Bill Dickey. Brouthers rocketed a rising line drive that cleared the fence in distant right-center field, and reportedly rolled another two blocks. The blast had an exit velocity of 111.6 to right-center field. Probably well over 600 feet in total. The crowd stood at attention, and at first there was a sense of awe, Kight recounted. Other great distance hitters from the sixties were Harmon Killebrew, Dick Stuart, and Boog Powell. 2. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux was pitching for the Chicago Cubs. This time though, they have to make the ride down 15-501 to the Dean Dome, where they'll . Note aperture." 18 Sources In addition to the sources mentioned in the notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com and retrosheet.org. Some fans in attendance swear the ball was still going up before it struck the roof, and a physicist from Montreals McGill University put his local bias aside to estimate that it would have traveled 525 feet, had it not been stopped. And while were unable to go back and superimpose exit velocities and projected distances on homers from the past, we can certainly gawk at them and wonder, "What if they were tracked?" I grew up in Bridgeport Michigan. Only four players have been confirmed to hit a ball over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium in Detroit: Cecil Fielder, Mark McGwire, Harmon Killebrew, and Frank Howard. Killebrew hit 44 home runs in 1967 and entered the Hall of Fame with 573. For perspective, consider the computerized measuring system implemented by IBM in most major league cities in 1982. Here is the full top 8 . The distance traveled through the air has been obscured with the passage of time and herein lies an interesting aspect of this subject. J.D. Adam Dunn, 535 Feet, Out of the Park The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati isn't a classic hitter's field, statistically at least, but Adam Dunn sure tamed it. Few people like the response given because, unlike other baseball stats, it is the farthest thing from perfect as illustrated by this superb article called Long Distance Home Runs written by William J. Jenkinson. Why then would anyone care how far they go? by Richard Bak on January 4, 2012. On July 18, 1921, Babe Ruth hit what is believed to be the longest verified home run in Major League Baseball history. Duke came out on top in the first game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, part of their perfect record at home. Honorable mentionsWe could go on all day, of course; dinger lore is wide and vast, and for the ones above we focused on more recent homers with ample video footage. One of the greatest quirks in baseball history is that Jimmie Foxx, following immediately in the footsteps of Babe Ruth, was to establish the second-greatest distance legacy in the annals of the game. And if Harmon Killebrew ever hit one farther, the 49th anniversary of that home run is today. I think they left Dick Allen in 1973 for the White Sox. 5:30 pm Darryl Strawberry hitting the large clock at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on October 1, 1985. Ruths mammoth homer is the only ball to be confirmed to have left Navin Field/Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium in center field. It was the 26th homer of the 2015 season. Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson is said to have actually cleared that old park in the Bronx. Ruths tape measure mystery is part of the lore surrounding the most famous player of all-time. Here, in no particular order, are 12 absolutely massive homers we wish came under Statcast tracking. Its estimated that the Babes blast traveled at least 575 feet in the air. A former football player, Gibby was sort of like a tight end without the shoulder pads in the outfield for Detroit. On June 3, 1987 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado, Meyer hit the longest verifiable home run in the history of professional baseball. The blast had an exit velocity of 118.3 mph and was Judges 52 home run of the season. Fielder nearly swung out of his shoes while fouling off an earlier pitch in the at-bat, prompting the television broadcaster to ponder if Fielder would have hit it out of the stadium had he connected. Where was the longest home run ever hit at Yankee Stadium? Mickey Mantle was no stranger to long home runs. Glenallen Hill at Wrigley Field (May 11, 2000)When the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, everything seems possible for a slugger -- including the rooftops across Waveland Avenue. . Allen walloped 18 home runs over the 75-foot-high left-field grandstand at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium, but his opposite-field drives to right and right-center fields may have been even more impressive. On April 14, 1976, New York Mets right fielder Dave Kingman hit an estimated 530-foot home run to left-center field off Chicago Cubs pitcher Tom Dettore. With the OPEN sign light I though well came all this way just aswell give it a try and am I glad I did. This one went over the left field roof, off Oaklands Dave Stewart. Most of those blasts, too, were prodigious, so the Tigers took a chance and signed Fielder. On September 10, 1960, with two out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. . These were men of great skill and power, and they unquestionable set the distance standards for their times. His regular bombardment of the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium has not been approximated in the 60-year history of that structure. It was later measured to be a 523-foot homer, with the ball landing on the lumber yard across the street from the stadium. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. As Ruth's talents waned in the early 1930s, Foxx began his ascendancy. A truly Ruthian tale., Ossining, N.Y. Babe Ruth went to jail. 12/9 Tennessee. Cardinals switch-hitter Rip Collins hit 35 in 1934. This was Bonds, baseballs most fearsome slugger, digging in for a rare Interleague at-bat in iconic Yankee Stadium -- the House that Ruth Built -- and rewarding us with a towering rocket to the right-field nosebleeds. 15 15. By his own account he hit the longest home run of his career on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. As I recall, it was a sunny Sunday afternoon that day. Let it be emphasized that the mighty Mick was undoubtedly one of baseball's all time longest hitters. Stopped by Wed morning 7/6 and had the pleasure of dealing directly with Lynne. 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Shipping Service The ball was hit on August 16, 1935. The pitch came from Chicago Cubs righty pitcher Francis Beltran. The Metrodome home run record is owned by Ben Oglivie, who was with Milwaukee when, on July 27, 1983, he parked one about 12 rows back in the upper deck in right-center. Dr. Paul E. Susman, a . The sign's headlinereads The Longest Home Run in Competitive Baseball History.. The other great distance hitters of that period were Lou Gehrig and Hank Greenberg, but their optimum drives fell about 50 feet short of those struck by Ruth and Foxx. Before, if you had power, you could hit the ball, said Oliva, who hit 220 home runs in 15 seasons. 457 Feet - Red Sox 1st Baseman Mo Vaughn hit a 457 foot bomb on July 7th, 1996. This feat was accomplished at a time before home runs were hit with enough frequency to be considered a regular part of the game. On a 499-foot blast, Barry Bonds hit the longest home run at Oracle Park. In 1921 alone, which was Ruth's best tape measure season, he hit at least one 500 foot home run in all eight American League cities.