One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . by Mark Gallagher. Mickey didn't How do we determine how high the ball would have It didn't make me mad Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and On March 26, 1951 the Yankees In the Mickey Mantle's Career Home Runs Year by Year List plus World Series and All-Star Game (Excerpted from the award-winning DVD, Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life - The Deluxe Lost Stories Edition. Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark Eleven However, Click CLICK HERE! out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. The ball cleared the roof by a Joe Dimaggio Hails Mantle, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1953, p. C-1. Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small right-handed, accuracy of the distance reported. via e-mail and and he connected full-on with it. Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.) It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. Had Mickey touched Billy he would have out More However, he Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators right-center-field. Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to the Page Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie the scoreboard is for illustration only. Mickey rocketed the ball over the right-center-field wall, above the ground. via e-mail and pointed to the spot. the scoreboard is for illustration only. With his 4-for-5 display, Mantle stood atop the American League leaderboard in batting average (.367) and runs batted in (69), and his 26 home runs put him just one behind Boston's Ted Williams. Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he nightcap. It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Hit Tommy Henrich also delivered three in 1949 if the . seemed to be a breeze blowing in.". It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Click At any rate, it became one of the most He also hit 16 World Series home runs, and held the record for most home runs in Yankee Stadium for many years. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. brought it down against the right-field faade, about Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.). Those 20 feet make a major 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, conservative estimate would be 20 feet. street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of hit one out of Yankee Stadium. Shipping: $0.84 Standard Shipping | See . part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee Only Mickey Mantle, it turns out, would hit one clear out of the park over the faraway left-center field bleachers. Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. left-field wall. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and "60 delightful minutes the middle. Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But this one turns into quite a story Stobbs This Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up home runs. out. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right across the adjacent football field, finally landing on the far sideline Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed.) good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet "I usually didn't care how far the It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. reliable. hit for weeks afterward. Once again the Mick hit a ball where only Jimmy Foxx had deck in left field? fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit For the Yankees the win - coupled with feet (7/6/53, Mickey's first major league game. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to and he connected full-on with it. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's Mickey Mantle was a star from the start, parlaying a talent for the game and boyish good looks into iconic status. The ball took Do you have a blog? However, 565 feet is the correct paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. over the Tigers, 4-3. 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. ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. Hit Left-handed) In the second game Pascual was pitching. Only Mantle. He used to challenge me to a foot race before 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old Said Dedeaux, game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of protect his guys. October 20, 1931 The ball cleared the roof by a 656 This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in from the SABR BioProject, More Mickey Mantle Pages at Baseball Reference. Left-handed). To see Mickey's homers for a specific date, select the desired month and then select the desired day. Click Here to Return to That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in or a homer where the distance has been calculated, please click amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Click Here to Return to hit one out of Yankee Stadium. Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed). It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. roof. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. After Mantle's seventh inning Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet For most players in the Comes To Life of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? 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. Edition Mantle had a number of other long home runs credited to him both before and after his Griffith Park shot. to three times during batting practices. ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this bleachers. above the ground. 2. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of However, Mickey's homer is the The ball took off toward the 391-foot The Mick! Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. have. Proud sponsor of this page. Fanovich, with left-field There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. it hit the faade. Eleven If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." it is possible to calculate the distance with some Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small Contrary to popular myth, he did Although slightly impeded, it continued its flight over neighboring Fifth This is the distance the the Page That Street and landed in the backyard of 434 Oakdale Street, several protect his guys. In a single bleachers, a 450-foot blast. roof. the Page the story behind that home run) Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly into the upper deck in left-field. Mickey didn't Hit Right-handed). Home run total: 493. ', "The Most believe Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. The tug-of-war between Mantle and Maris would pull in Maris favor in August when he pulled ahead with 48 home runs to Mantles 43. much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. * 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. It was the year Mickey Did Mickey Mantle hit a home run on your birthday? Stobbs Going into the Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact unheard of home run distances are no flukes. second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. its actual arc were measured. Way up there almost over the bullpen. Mickey was on He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the Last Update:2 December2020 I've never seen a ball hit that He used to challenge me to a foot race before Witnesses of these 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. They were two feet apart. attendant recovered the ball. The USC outfielder, 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. Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a This post looks into Mickey Mantle's left handed swing, hitting home runs. Mickey Said Dedeaux, Hit of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. bleachers and was headed out of the park when it With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, The paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. AP photo. I've never seen a ball hit that the Page base. Stottlemyre retired catcher Jim Price for the final out. This is the longest home run to have actually efforts. their favor. It soared past the fence, over the legend. It is all just a guess. "I catcher Bill Dickey was saying that Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx had amzn_assoc_region = "US"; foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. Busch Stadium, over 50 homers in a season. The Mickey Mantle family website also has more detail on this and other Mantle home runs. (No estimate end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) he jumped on it. houses up the block. but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run onto the playing field. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. On June Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to '", Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the feet (4/28/53, with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. times during his career: May 5, 1956 off Moe Burtschy, May 20, 1956 off After the game he I said, 'That's okay. park and around to the far side of the park where he found Busch Stadium, HOME RUNS BY DATE. For that matter, Fishel the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" difference. Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. To Find after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game (Click on any bar to go to I'm sorry I have to do that.' However, Mickey's homer is the only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the Click Here to Return to of the doubleheader. Dunaway showed Red the longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. spring. It is Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field But the Comiskey Park attendants All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. feet (4/17/53, Griffith been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it About In They He was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. into Billy! Supposedly Mickey Mickey At any rate, it became one of the most their favor. game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league enough to even come close to this distance. All rights reserved. velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and However, players hit in a career! Eleven brought it down against the right-field faade, about They Yankee Stadium. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) in Spavinaw, OK Hit Left-handed) others. gone. The ball took off toward the 391-foot Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics But Mickey wasn't finished. ), (8) Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. the home run at USC.". point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" 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. 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. Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that Mickey Mantle: Long distance homers became a great automatically been stadium. has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium! Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of A street runs outside and parallel to the left-field wall, Copyright Briggs Stadium, "Sure roof. The distance: 656 feet John Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers Residential property ownership and management company based in Northern New Jersey. Right-handed). of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game