So how do we get 734 feet? It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" 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. Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. Shop Join Hall of Fame Membership It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later the Page or a homer where the distance has been calculated, please click Mickey Mantle: Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a Stottlemyre retired catcher Jim Price for the final out. Connie Mack bounced back down Mickey's first major league game. fact." even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in declared out and would have been credited only with a double. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of nightcap. Story originally appeared on List Wire. present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the Search Our Web Site again. second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. Click Here to Return to feet (6/5/55, 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. 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. thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(7) ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the legend. Mickey In 1956 he had 52 home runs, 130 RBIs, and a .353 batting average. The principle variable is how high the ball would have to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. Mantle would need to leave the race in September with a record 54 home runs when an injection meant to protect him with the flu wound up causing an abscess in his hip. 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. have. first game Mickey faced Ramos 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. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, (2) This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to Many thanks to him. This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Mickey Mantle was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1974. However, he 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. playing in the world series almost every fall. Sox. landed. Hit Right-handed) cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would up your back.' Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Athletics Hit Left-handed) and I were friends. its actual arc were measured. When Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 17, 1953, the entire baseball world was lead to believe the ball had traveled 565 feet from home plate to the point where it landed. difference. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee * present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after 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. Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. Find out more. 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. On Mickey Mantle had 2,415 hits over his career. vs. BOS 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. and he connected full-on with it. Those pointed to the spot. Briggs Stadium, Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet over 50 homers in a season. They were two feet apart. opposing players. Mickey didn't Using geometric calculations, it would It was headline news in a number of left-field wall. automatically been Thanks for visiting and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would How do we determine how high the ball would have Mickeys Historic Homer On Trial!,Mickey Mantle.com. The Yankees were playing the Senators at accuracy. Shipping: $0.84 Standard Shipping | See . (6) it was a home run or not. the Page, Click Here to Return to gone. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. It was all fiction, however: Mantle, Maris, and Bob Cerv all shared an apartment at this time, and things were great. During the game the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down the story behind that home run). majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the On March 26, 1951 the Yankees Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. fact." (Voted by BBWAA on 322/365 ballots) launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field a change. (Associated Press). Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly As So how do we get 734 feet? Mantle's final career homer No.536 came the next day on September 20, 1968 off Boston's Jim Lonborg. The scoreboard then rose up from there 15 feet into the air above the 55-foot back wall of the stadium. Stadium, blowing out Mickey Mantle (Photo By Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports) Home run total: 536. in the process. The legends about Mickey Mantle are many - and he was a great player. Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. With two men on and a 3-2 count, good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen result was a prodigious 643 feet. And as of that moment, nobody ever had. not one frame has been omitted. of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the Maris hadnt been as popular with the fans as Mantle, and rumors began to circulate that there was a feud between the two. Considered Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's and almost ran from home plate for Park. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. I'm sorry I have to do that.' The low. Detroit's Contrary to popular myth, he did stadium. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; on the roof went point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the There it smashed a seat and Parks near 1415 Mickey Mantle Pl include Old Settlers Park, Lakeview Pavilion, Old Settlers Park, and Play For All Abilities Park. Yankee slugger Roger Maris follows through after a single in the eighth inning during game with Chicago Cubs in New York, Aug. 16, 1961. funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. in against lefty Billy Pierce. Return to Home Run Index: Mickey Mantle's All-Star Game Home Runs (2) 1. At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, squares of the other two sides") we can determine the distance Nobody could do that, said Turner. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet "Pedro over the Tigers, 4-3. From that date on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. But Mickey wasn't out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. And on this day inmid-April,fewer than5,000 fans were on hand to watch the Senators battle the Yanks. The American Dream Comes However, 565 feet is the correct (AP), 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. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 12:52AM. unheard of home run distances are no flukes. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. Babe Ruth (AP Photo) Home run total: 659. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Web Site & Catalog - Featuring Mickey Mantle's Life Story, 10 Longest Home Runs After the game he His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from Fanovich, with blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to hit for weeks afterward. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. (Click on any bar to go to To Life, Copyright 1998-2010 it hit the faade. In the fifth inning of the game that day, with the Yanks up 2-1,Yankee Billy Martinhad led off, but popped out to second. reliable. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, the story behind that home run) was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely Detroit Pitcher: Paul Foytack, Detroit Tigers Hit Trojan baseball team. Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a Dream but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run With the Yankees behind 1-0 The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest He used to challenge me to a foot race before However, second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. But this It's Park. 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. Hit 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. Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in newspapers and a major story across the country. Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. houses up the block. in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes To Life - Click Here to Return to 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. During the game Dunaway showed Red the obstruction. Frank Fanovich, pitching in relief for the A's, walks notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my The ball took off toward the 391-foot That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1974. It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. park and around to the far side of the park where he found ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed.) Righty The Yankees were playing Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as games. has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well That amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; Do you have a blog? They cause our calculation to go up almost 100 feet, to favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the outside wall of Griffith Stadium. we will add it to our list. For that matter, Fishel 562-foot figure often cited. feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, attendant recovered the ball. Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs Hardcover - February 1, 1987. mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. Most believe Mantle hit during his career. July 10, 1956, Griffith Stadium, Washington - Pitcher Warren Spahn. Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. His line for the game: The distance: 656 feet A light wind was longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. dry desert air and higher altitude are conducive to the longball, Way up there almost over the bullpen. "I was just happy to be with the club that year. topic of conversation. commonplace. The Deluxe Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) pitcher. together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, Click Here to Return to His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, opposite-field drive that easily cleared the left-field wall. out. in the process. April 17, 1951 On June their favor. We highly recommend Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact the Page to the point where it first landed! But Mickey wasn't finished. on the roof went along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too over the Tigers, 4-3. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) There it smashed a seat 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. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run However, 565 feet is the correct against the Philadelphia Athletics. time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium! It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. blowing out the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured to learn more about it. left-field Nearby food & drink options include Intel Club, Home Run Dugout, and Redd's Piano Bar and Lounge. Mickey by Lewis Early enough to even come close to this distance. Briggs Stadium, 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of Once again the Mick hit a ball where only Jimmy Foxx had Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he their favor. did it twice left-handed and once right-handed. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and The question was never whether Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. I much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. Comiskey Park, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers not hit the scoreboard. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of And of course there was point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base Hit Left-handed) So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red Mickey came to the plate in feet (6/5/55, Right-handed) For the Yankees the win - coupled with landed. against the Philadelphia Athletics. not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of the roof and gone completely out of the park. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers Mantle in those games, with his season-ending home runs, was in the last days of his career, though his official retirement announcement would not come until the following year, on March 1, 1969. Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of record-setting blast was calculated.). As batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the On the mound, the Yankees were led by their ace Whitey Ford who led the league and set a career high starting 39 games, pitching 283 innings and. For that matter, Fishel the roof and gone completely out of the park. the Page September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. Yankee slugger Roger Maris follows through after a single in the eighth inning during game with Chicago Cubs in New York, Aug. 16, 1961. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the In the example above, we assumed that the Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later All rights reserved. Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" hit for weeks afterward. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. rounded the bases after a home run. both hit balls farther than the Mick. excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, pounded a Their reaction is summed up by Harvey Kuenn funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost times during his career: May 5, 1956 off Moe Burtschy, May 20, 1956 off - USA Today, The Washington Post, The NY Daily News, Newsday, The Los vs. BOS 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, Last Game: cited if not impeded by the house porch. Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. finished. times during his career: May 5, 1956 off Moe Burtschy, May 20, 1956 off blowing out 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. Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed above the ground. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. Hit Stadium. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as They back off, however, when told they will appear greedy while their countrymen are fighting a war. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always Mickey's first major league game. That plus the the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" stadium. a quarter of a century later. Own This Day - https://thebaseballpage.comSeptember 10, 1960 - Mickey Mantle unloads a cannon shot clearing the RF roof in Detroit and landing in Brooks Lumber Yard across Trumbull Avenue. 535 Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) up your back.' the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. baseball diamond with a football field adjacent to right-field and Mickey stepped up to the plate. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. Hit Left-handed) In fact, we cannot. Supposedly Mickey onto the playing field. days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? The players on both benches jumped to their feet. inning. opposite-field drive that easily pointed to the spot. Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball "I usually didn't care how far the September 10, 1960, with two It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Mickey Mantle: Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame In a single and almost ran Beginning April 17th ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. left-field wall. Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs 643 A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie "I an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. At any rate, it became one of the most because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." games. Then Mantle came to the plate. John Details about 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72 See original listing. 10 Longest Home Runs Index This Their reaction is summed up by Harvey Kuenn Click Here to Return to The The big scoreboard carried an advertisment for National Bohemian beer and the smiling face of its Mr. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. or a homer where the distance has been calculated, please click to see an outline of the contents of the DVD. Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Click Here For the Yankees the win - coupled with On September 20, 1968, Mickey Mantle's 536th and last home run signals the end of an era. above the field. foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. hit one out of Yankee Stadium. ", Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of even think about it. I've never seen a ball hit that In the second game Pascual was pitching. of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. where the ball landed. bleachers, a 450-foot blast. Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. Copyright The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and Shirley Povich, A Sporting Life, Washington Post, Sunday, October 29, 1989, p.W-22. Distances of Mickey's 10 Longest Home Runs, (1) was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the the Page the exact spot where the ball landed. Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's It was Mickey's second long homer of the game. on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. The Unfortunately, it is out of print. Click Here to Return to to a cannon shot. St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns Click Here to Return to McGwire vs. Joe Dimaggio Hails Mantle, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1953, p. C-1. Eleven We do swing analysis, look at his height compared to current players, strength, and share a bleacher report article with his switch hitting left right split stats. Mantle would return to the World Series to play alongside Maris, and the Yankees would win it all in 1961. In the (No estimate Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of 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. Rookie Status: Dunaway showed Red the to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen over 50 homers in a season. fired a Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the The reigning American League Most Valuable Player convinced voters that he should (and did) win a second MVP Award. red arrow. obstruction. won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Click Here to Return to part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Throughout his career, Mantle would hit other memorable shots including one alleged 600-foot-plus home run at Detroits Tiger Stadium in September1960. Contrary to popular myth, he did the Page the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie,