Martinez hit the longest home run in Comerica Park history last season at an estimated 467 feet. That homeric deed was performed by the powerful Jimmie Foxx on June 16, 1936. I told Bob Casey about the cover we put on the seat to commemorate the home run, Mee said, and he was telling the fans over the loudspeaker as Killebrew was coming up to bat. It has been confirmed that the ball struck against the third house beyond Waveland Avenue, which is situated about 530 feet from home plate. Tim Hagerty is the broadcaster for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, and is on Twitter at @MinorsTeamNames. Also ranking among the elite during that decade were Greg Luzinski, Dave Kingman, and George Foster. Reggie came off the bench in the 1971 Midsummer Classic and golfed a ball off Pirates righty Dock Ellis that traveled an estimated 530-some odd feet. The . The baseball traveled past the flag pole located in deep center field, over the head of Charles Chick Shorten, over the lower deck, which undoubtedly had only a smattering of fans, and out onto the street. Oliva said it was harder to hit one out at Metropolitan than at the Metrodome. Out of class C ball, hits 'em both ways, five-hundred feet both ways! Acunas homer had an exit velocity of 112.9 mph and was his 14th homer of the season. . But so did Killebrews, Mee said. The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Martinez hit a 467-foot home run off of Seattle Mariners Taijuan Walker on July 21, 2015. Where was it hit? Until the Statcast radar era, we really never had. by Richard Bak on January 4, 2012. Each time the noise grew louder and louder! The second one was Gibbys blast in 1983, when some friends and I got bleacher tickets, and sat dead center, giving us a great view of the ball as it sailed out of the ballpark. Only six batters hit as many as 20 homers that year. Ruth later claimed this was the longest home run he ever hit, the News-Sentinel reported. 1969 i attended my first game at Tiger Stadium the next day, Self correction. The most common cause for overstatement has been the basic misconception about the flight of a batted ball once it has reached its apex. Detroit Outfielder Cullenbines Skills Were Ahead of His Time, Jon Warden made the most of his one season with Tigers, The longest home runs hit at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. These were not temp help that knew nothing these were professionals who knew not just everything but were truly looking out for me. On July 1, 1990, Kansas City Royals outfielder Bo Jackson hit one of the longest home runs in Kauffman Stadium history against Jack Morris and the Detroit Tigers. Check the home run lengths of all seventy Mark McGwire blasts and all sixty-six Sammy Sosa's shots in the fabulous feats section. It was heresy to suggest that Ruth's accomplishments could be surpassed, but for a few seasons it appeared that Foxx might do just that. But baseball has been around way longer than that, obviously. If he had the power to clear the roof by over 100 feet, he surely would have cleared it marginally on many occasions. There was never anyone like the Babe, said teammate Herb Pennock, and to have seen him was to see a legend.. That was a big surprise, that somebody could hit the ball that far, said Tony Oliva, a slugger himself. In his first season wearing the Old English D, Big Daddy hit 51 homers. The lore has it that Mickey Mantle hit a 565-foot home run against the Washington Senators in 1953. . Sammy Sosa famously broke one of the windows on that yellow building, but even Slammin Sammy never hit one out there as far as Hill. "Hall of Fame historian Bill Jenkinson once estimated it as the longest home run ever hit. This ball might have evaporated into the clouds if the Big O roof wasnt in its path. No one had hit one that far before. The blast still stands over 40 years later as the longest homerun in MLB All-Star game history. Yes, Killebrew did it again, the next day. The Mets were quick to flash a 505-foot distance up on the scoreboard, but broadcaster Keith Hernandez might have put it better when he said, It looks like theres beer coming off that sign.. The ball landed. The covered upper-deck seats add even more grandeur to Big Cats neck-craner, providing a pad for the ball to thump and trickle down like a golf ball on a putt-putt course. I also saw Reggie Jackson with the As strike out about 3 times late in the 1969 season at Tiger Stadium. Thats one of the reasons fans in Detroit were dumbfounded on July 18, when The Big Fella, a muscular slugger for the Yankees named Babe Ruth, did something no one had ever done before. The Big Unit put this pitch on the outer half of the plate, and McGwire still pulled it to the back wall of the Kingdome. On September 25, 2020, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., hit a 495-foot home run to left-center field off Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Mazza. Brubaker. If you have the power, you hit the ball; if you dont have the power, you dont.. It may be appropriate to cite another example of this same optical illusion. His regular bombardment of the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium has not been approximated in the 60-year history of that structure. Before participating in the varsity squad of William Howard Taft Charter High School, he developed his baseball skills in the West Valley Little League. Ted Williams hit a 502-foot blast to the right-field bleachers on June 9, 1946. For perspective, consider the computerized measuring system implemented by IBM in most major league cities in 1982. 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. Determining the longest homer ever in MLB history is an exercise in myth-busting. But, Mee noted, there was but a slight breeze blowing that day. Ruths tape measure mystery is part of the lore surrounding the most famous player of all-time. Wily Mo Pena at GABP (April 17, 2005)This ball was river-bound too, if it wasnt for that pesky upper deck standing in the way. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. The center field home run was Confortos 13th homer of the season. One might say the Reds fans sitting up there werent expecting a home run souvenir that day, but then again, they were already plenty familiar with Wily Mos work. 2. On July 21, 1915, as a rookie with the Boston Red Sox, Ruth struck a prodigious drive that sailed far over the rightfield bleachers at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Share your opinion on our baseball message boards where a topic on the longest hit ever has already begun. On June 29, 2018,, Seattle Mariners Mike Zunino hit a 470-foot home run to left field off Kansas City Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy. Order Tracking A Mickey Mantle homer was originally estimated to have gone 734 feet. That was the start of modern long-distance hitting, and it is a testimony to Ruth's uniqueness that he was able to set objective standards of performance that have never been surpassed. Top 10 Tigers homers of the decade. Their displays of pure power were greeted with passionate enthusiasm, though they did not occur in an actual game. 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. The blast had an exit velocity of 118.3 mph and was Judges 52 home run of the season. If confirmed, it would be the longest home run in 2018 by a long shot. Reggie Jackson's 1971 All-Star homer off the transformer atop Tiger Stadium's rightfield roof is one of the most famous long shots. After Ruth and Foxx, Mantle ranks as high as or higher than anyone else who ever tried to hit a baseball to faroff places. 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Bonus points for clubbing this off As ace Dave Stewart, when Smoke was near the peak of his powers. Thank you so much, I can't wait to wear my jersey to a Wings game! Extremely satisfied with the wonderful personable service! The roof was 94 feet high and the left-field fence was 340 feet from home plate . Foxx never quite measured up to Ruth, but it is remarkable that no once since Foxx has measured up to him. The new parks are smaller, built for power hitters to entertain todays fans. The homer that traveled to center field with an exit velocity of 113.2 mph, and was Martinezs 13th home run of the season. Coincidentally, that was the same ballpark where Mickey Mantle had supplanted Williams as the game's longest hitter seven years earlier. Customer Service A 34-mph wind blew toward the bleachers that day, which is why Mee thinks Killebrews second upper-deck shot may actually have been hit harder. Unlike the 1971 All Star game blast when his Famous homer hit the light tower in right center and came back onto the field, his 1984 blast TOTALLY cleared the roof and left the stadium. The ball kept carrying as JaCoby Jones ran towards the wall, eventually clearing both rows of shrubs in straightaway center before bouncing back onto the field. NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics. It would have left Tiger Stadium, like Fielders shot, if not for a transformer perched on top of the right-field roof. Others who should be recognized are Jose Canseco, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Thomas, and Andres Galarraga. On July 6, 1974, he powered a torrid drive that crashed against the roof facade in deep left-center field at Tiger Stadium. As is often the case at Wrigley, Kingmans home run had a strong wind behind it. 5:30 pm Darryl Strawberry hitting the large clock at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on October 1, 1985. San Diego Padres Franmil Reyes hit a 479-foot home run on June 5, 2018, against Atlanta Braves pitcher Luke Jackson. Franchy Cordero's 489-foot bomb was the longest home run of the season coming into the night per Statcast. Inside Jim Flinn's memory, May 11, 1969, is a web of fuzzy details, a kaleidoscope of greens and grays, aside from the moment that couldn't be more clear. TheNew York Post called it his longest-ever home run.. 1. Needless to say that at the very least, you now have an activity to pass your free time. On June 23, 2015, Miami Marlin Giancarlo Stanton hit a 479-foot home run to left-center field off of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez. Since this home run was the only one that ever cleared those bleachers during decades of major league and Negro League competition, it is genuinely deserving of recognition. 3. Amazingly, many of those records remain unequaled, which is to say that Ruth is a true athletic anachronism. * Click on a player to see more information about their specific events including videos of plays if available. Babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run over 600 feet. Lets take a look at the longest home runs in the history of each MLB stadium. & quot;According to the Detroit Free Press book "The Corner", the following have hit HR's out of Tiger Stadium: Norm Cash (did it 4 times) Mickey Mantle (did it 3 times) Kirk Gibson (did it 3 times) Jason Thompson (did it twice) Mickey Tettlton (did it twice) Tony Clark . Juan Gonzalez and Ken Griffey, Jr. were the most widely discussed participants at Baltimore's 1993 All-Star celebration, though neither player did anything heroic in the game itself. Perhaps the ball had already flown over 400 feet, whereupon it was interrupted in midflight at a height of 70 feet above field level. Almost everyone in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it was interrupted in midflight by the roof structure. 5. The home run went to straightaway center field, clearing the stadium and landing into the street. Broxton, naturally, was . Longest home run in the history of every single MLB stadium BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 26: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees at bat during the top of the first inning of the. Griffey shared center stage the following year in Pittsburgh with Frank Thomas, as the two men took turns bombarding the upper decks at Three Rivers Stadium. Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson is said to have actually cleared that old park in the Bronx. From a functional standpoint, it makes no difference by what margin a ball clears a set home run barrier. 3. And, how far did it go? Moving into the eighties, Mike Schmidt, Jim Rice, and Darryl Strawberry set the pace at a time when modern technology permitted us to better understand the limitations of the flight of a batted ball. MORE:Where was baseball's first night game? At the time, we did not know what a big deal that was. The 2021 Home Run Derby begins at 7:00 p.m. That list is topped by the legendary Josh Gibson, and includes George "Mule" Suttles, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, and John Beckwith. The greatest confirmed home run distance in Major League Baseball is about 575 feet (175 m), by Babe Ruth, to straightaway center field at Tiger Stadium (then called Navin Field and prior to the double-deck), which landed nearly across the junction of Trumbull and Cherry. 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. Let it be emphasized that the mighty Mick was undoubtedly one of baseball's all time longest hitters. I don't live nearby so the ability to have it shipped for $10 was well worth the cost. They checked it over and off I went. As long as baseball has been played, observers and participants alike have been fascinated with those rare individuals who have been capable of batting balls farther than others of their time. Wow. I was on Trumbull listening to the game on the radio Ina car parked outside a bar when it came off and over the roof.