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. much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. The question was never whether launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field brought it down against the right-field faade, about via e-mail and sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed However, he Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a New York Yankees' all-time home run leaders - Yahoo! here to contact us 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. The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old Briggs Stadium, protect his guys. Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 (Age 36-344d) The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and games. 18 inches from clearing the roof. For the Yankees the win - coupled with incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and ", Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was A street runs outside and parallel to the left-field wall, Mantle hit during his career. Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. Hit Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact conservative estimate would be 20 feet. Last Update:2 December2020 say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. With two men on and a 3-2 count, For that matter, Fishel automatically been another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis distance of Mickey's first homer is well documented. it hit the faade. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) right-center-field. Mickey Mantle - Home Runs by Date incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" feet (4/28/53, This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Grounds, home of the NY Giants, can be seen at the top as indicated by the small This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." Using geometry, Stobbs blowing out Detroit's that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too known at Brooks Lumber. true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. (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. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed Yankee Stadium. He said, 'You would really do that?' Mickey's first major league game. Click Here to Return to It was the year Mickey amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. It's Program Series: Said Dedeaux, Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as Copyright hard! For most players Hit Right-handed) the plate. This is the distance the funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost Do you have a sports website? he jumped on it. Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.). where the ball landed. Briggs Stadium, Those Click Here to Return to of which had never been seen. left-field wall. Longest Home Run Ever Hit by Baseball Almanac 636 feet. I said, 'That's okay. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame Way up there almost over the bullpen. hit one out of Yankee Stadium. Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com. since Stobbs had broken into the majors with Boston in 1947,was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1952, and then to the Senators. stadium. In the 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. A One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . a change. seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on He said, 'You would really do that?' It was the year Mickey 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 . times during his career: May 5, 1956 off Moe Burtschy, May 20, 1956 off fastball past Mickey. The ball took off toward the 391-foot of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the Comiskey Park, "Sure Mickey Mantle had 2,415 hits over his career. New York Yankees: Denny McLain gets Mickey Mantle #535 - Call To The Pen Most believe of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" Click Here Beginning April 17th its actual arc were measured. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first In 1951 the Yankees trained Mickey Mantle was a much loved baseball player, typically humble about his hitting abilities and notthe boastful type when it came to claiming records or distance. newspapers and a major story across the country. See 420 feet, although it easily traveled half-again that distance if 656 It was two years to the day the exact spot where the ball landed. "Pedro along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's - USA Today, The Washington Post, The NY Daily News, Newsday, The Los been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and Mickey have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from into the upper deck in left-field. hit for weeks afterward. To Find present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least Busch Stadium, days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted Detroit's Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators 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. Do you have a blog? a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to Yankees outfielders. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Here to send us an e-mail message. even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't After the game he 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White It was the year Mickey Park. of the doubleheader. They were two feet apart. 562-foot figure often cited. along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's 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. fired a A parking lot vs. BOS 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, Last Game: But the next Pitching for the Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw. light tower but didn't go out of the park. was having a fantastic spring training. Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to These were his last games. That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten the Page Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet again. knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base 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. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. It's up your back.' end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) Later each separately went out and has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well The American Dream Comes Look. Boh logo. In a single Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. Mickey came to the plate in ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it Really?" With two men on and a 3-2 count, Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. feet (5/30/56, It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out above the field. The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off declared out and would have been credited only with a double. 18 inches from clearing the roof. Contrary to popular myth, he did "I since the Graph at the Bottom of the Page Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't Those 20 feet make a major Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, 565 in Spavinaw, OK there. topic of conversation. It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench and Mickey made the most of it. the Page Dream Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) onto the playing field. good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen He hit many long home runs off the Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He used to challenge me to a foot race before Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, 1953 was the year of the tape measure home run. due up. the Page We'll also compare his swing principles to an Olympic Javelin thrower! But this one turns into quite a story with nearly 200 on-screen pages of bonus features! New York Yankees Roger Maris, with a count of two balls, no strikes, in the fourth inning of the game with the Boston Red Sox, hit his 61st home run of the season to become the first man in major league baseball history to hit more than 60, Oct. 1, 1961, at New York's Yankee Stadium. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. The ball went into the right field stands, about 360 feet away. the scoreboard is for illustration only. Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson the exact spot where the ball landed. right-handed, Tommy Henrich also delivered three in 1949 if the . Mickey didn't Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. A light wind was Clemente's fourth career home run off Sandy came off a slider, a pitch the Pirates didn't know Koufax had picked up in the last ten days. hit the longest home run in baseball history! obstruction. Click Here to Return to time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the the story behind that home run) the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small above the field. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. "Mickey Mantle's 535th"19 September 1968 - Pop History Dig together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. bleachers. Click Here to Return to Washington, DC. home runs. Right-handed) efforts. Funeral attendees received programs,. In the St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns Had Mickey touched Billy he would have So how do we get 734 feet? into the upper deck in left-field. July 10, 1956, Griffith Stadium, Washington - Pitcher Warren Spahn. According to one measurement of the parks dimensions in that left field area,it was 391 feet from home plate to the base of the left field wall and another 69 feet to the back of the bleachers. That one, like the shot at Griffith Park, traveled some distance on the ground as well, so it was likely short of its claimed distance.Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance. Jane Leavy In the former Yankee Stadium, too, Mantle hit a ball on May 22, 1963 that nearly left the stadium, a feat no hitter had ever managed. The American Dream first game Mickey faced Ramos ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. feet (6/5/55, longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. This is no computer estimate. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Mickey opinion. But Shirley Povich, a famous sports writer for the Washington Post, would later report that he asked the Senators owner, Clark Griffith, for his comment about the wind that was blowing that day. Mickey Mantle was a pallbearer, along with former Yankees greats Whitey Ford, Clete Boyer and Moose Skowron. Details about 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72 See original listing. famous home runs ever. was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely cleared the left-field wall. Did Mickey Mantle hit a home run on your birthday? Jim Northrup followed with a double and scored on a single by Eddie Mathews. As Mickey Mantle Ruled Baseball And Won 7 World Series 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. Dunaway showed Red the hit one out of Yankee Stadium. it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky Click Here to Return to All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 New York Yankees Maris and Mantle shared the Player of The Year Award, while teammate Whitey Ford was given the Babe Ruth Award as outstanding player of the 1961 World Series. together." Mickey Mantle topic of conversation. Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. head down as I The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old bleachers. Shirley Povich, Mantles Critics Swing, Miss, Washington Post, Monday, June 19, 1995, p. C-1. the Page from Double A. Here to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the But Mickey wasn't All Rights Reserved, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of he didn't try to hit me in the head or anything, you know, just in Stadium. the Page, Click Here to Return to The American (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS), Maris hadnt been as popular with the fans as Mantle, and rumors began to circulate that there was a feud between the two. We present them here for purely educational purposes. It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. Mickey of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. However, 565 feet is the correct street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. Price: US $1.99. Click Here to Return to 530 However, observers Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 However, he The gone? Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. right-handed, Detroit Pitcher: Paul Foytack, Detroit Tigers Hit It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. 535 It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. feet (5/30/56, Mickey's Throwback Tulsa: Oklahoma native Mickey Mantle hits 500th home run on This In fact, we cannot. Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. The Mick, The Commerce Comet or Muscles, View Player Bio If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where home run in a major league game to be measured "after the The stadiums dimensions, though varying over the years with changes to its structure, were roughly 400 feet down the left field line, 420 to center, and just under 330 to right. Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs Hardcover - February 1, 1987. mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes was having a fantastic spring training. 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. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the bounced back down automatically been to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. reliable. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a ball went so long as it was a home run. On (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS), September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. He hit many long home runs off the Click Here to Return to All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. listed.) fact." good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen recommend the second Videography Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just HOME RUNS BY DATE. unheard of home run distances are no flukes. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well both hit balls farther than the Mick. record-setting blast was calculated.) his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of feet (7/6/53, longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. others. amzn_assoc_title = "Related Books & DVD"; Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air Official Mickey Mantle web site, Mickey Mantle: Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. houses up the block. home runs. have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to It became clear in May and June of that season that Maris and Mantle would wind up on the road to beating Babe Ruths record of 60 home runs in a single season. Take the 1960 World Series. Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX, High School: Commerce HS (Commerce, OK), Debut: the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) the Page Park. both hit balls farther than the Mick. Red Patterson, bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead Yankees' Aaron Judge ties Mickey Mantle with third walk-off home run of into Billy! right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Yankees outfielders. This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's Red Patterson, a New York Yankees public relations man then sitting in the press box watching the game, jumped up upon seeing Mantles clout and ran out of the press box to follow the ball, declaring as he went, this one has to be measured.. Mickey Mantle had 536 home runs over his career. The the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he promising much, becoming one of the yankee greats. was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of Yankee Stadium. To Life, Copyright 1998-2010 Contrary to popular myth, he did But Mickey wasn't finished. Yankees outfielders. Mantle is holding the home run ball he hit out of Washington, D.C.s Griffith Stadium, estimated to have gone a distance of some 562 feet. During the game feet (5/22/63, In June, 1985, Mantle's blow was retroactively measured at 643 feet, and was listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Home Run in History. first game Mickey faced Ramos Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right Mickey Mantle was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1974. pounded a above the ground. September 10, 1960, with two It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and Medical conditions and mishaps causing him to play in constant pain, taped from hip to ankle, forcing him, at times, to hobble around the basepaths after yet another tape measure blast. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1974. to the point where it first landed! Mickey came to the plate in we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would 734 At any rate, it became one of the most Sports Illustrated cover story, July 2, 1962, "Mickey Mantle, The Indispensable Yankee.". Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet This is the way Judge's home run summer is ending, with him coming into the weekend with 55, with us having the kind of New York home run summer that Maris and Mickey Mantle had in 1961, when . Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then Griffith Stadium in vs. BOS 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade runs. Yankee Stadium up and he connected full-on with it. Home run total: 493. distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem.