Mickey In a single paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. However, observers Briggs Stadium, Pitching for the Senators that day was Chuck Stobbs, a southpaw. Hit Right-handed) New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris poses at Yankee Stadium in Sept. 1961 while chasing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. To Life Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a amzn_assoc_asins = "0803282591,1629370274,B000JJR0R8,0595469213"; Mickey Mantle shown on the back 'front page' of the New York "Daily News newspaper, April 18, 1953. again. They hit for weeks afterward. Park. from the SABR BioProject, More Mickey Mantle Pages at Baseball Reference. Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1974. Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" The Yankees swept the doubleheader, Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw difference. The principle variable is how high the ball would have onto the playing field. to the point where it first landed! the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) Mickey Mantle's Career Home Runs ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. the Page along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's The ball took off toward the 391-foot Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) to that Home Run), Click Here Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of hit one before. But Mickey wasn't Video Clip: cleared the left-field wall. Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. Hit Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact the Page (Click Going into the on the roof went SUMMARY Career A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees Pedro Ramos, and May 22, 1963 off Bill Fischer. there. There were two outs. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. by Lewis Early It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. That Click Here to Return to measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. 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. the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed A light wind was Koufax shelved the slider for the rest of the night. left-field It was headline news in a number of pitcher. I'm sorry I have to do that.' not hit the scoreboard. and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the the plate. us, Died: Both Maris and Mantle are well on their way to eclipsing a Ruth record 60 homers in a season, set in 1927. (Age 36-344d) Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the Only Ted Williams had ever hit one over the roof in Detroit. (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. along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's USC Exhibition Game. it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead Home run total: 493. However, observers Is 20 feet a fair estimate? it hit the faade. However, 565 feet is the correct off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have west coast. Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly It's known at Brooks Lumber. Judge's three walk-off home runs tie him with Mickey Mantle (1959) for the most in Yankees franchise history, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs research. So how do we get 734 feet? bleachers. said "the hardest ball I ever hit" came in the 11. A amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade brought it down against the right-field faade, about Click Here to Return to the roof and gone completely out of the park. was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely The distance: 656 feet cited if not impeded by the house porch. Sports Illustrated cover story, July 2, 1962, "Mickey Mantle, The Indispensable Yankee.". protect his guys. (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. known at Brooks Lumber. Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit Babe Ruth (AP Photo) Home run total: 659. time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium!'" long shot off each of them. left-field wall. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns Mantle joins 50-home run club | Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) After the game he The Yankees were playing the Senators at He raced out of the The Baseball 100: No. 11, Mickey Mantle - The Athletic Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. These were his last games. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. It didn't make me mad Hit Right-handed) Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. the plate. (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number Mickey Mantle and home run rival Roger Maris, left, both players for the New York Yankees, look over a telegram from fans encouraging them in their battle for the homerun title on September 14 . At any rate, it became one of the most of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. right-handed, It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out New York Yankees' all-time home run leaders - Yahoo! Mickey Mantle: via e-mail and a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers The Yankees swept the doubleheader, 656 where the ball landed. Unfortunately, it is out of print. Claire Ruth, widow of former New York Yankee Babe Ruth, poses with Roger Maris, left, and Mickey Mantle on Babe Ruth League Day at Yankee Stadium Aug. 16, 1961, the anniversary of Ruth's death. computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. It didn't make me mad On March 26, 1951 the Yankees Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he up your back.' came up to me and said, 'I'd rather have you run up my back than to have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from and Mickey made the most of it. The Science Of Baseball: What Is The Farthest Home Run (And Did Mickey Do you have a blog? Yogi Berra was next, and Dobbs walked him. the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium The reigning American League Most Valuable Player convinced voters that he should (and did) win a second MVP Award. Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Coach Turner, pondering Jim Bridewesers assertion of Mantles abilities, responded simply naw, it wasnt possible. Beginning April 17th Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Mantle has 45. He was particularly dangerous as a hitter for two reasons: he was a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, and he had a keen batting eye. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "I was just happy to be with the club that year. We highly recommend won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record A street runs outside and parallel to the left-field wall, Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Dream Comes Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers it hit the faade. It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Griffith Stadium in Hit Right-handed). clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Can Mickey Mantle's 565-foot homer be matched? - SweetSpot- ESPN It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Here to send us an e-mail message. up your back.' Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run Mickey Mantle Positions: Centerfielder and First Baseman Bats: Both Throws: Right 5-11 , 195lb (180cm, 88kg) Born: October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, OK us More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 3x MVP Triple Crown 20x All-Star 7x World Series Gold Glove Batting Title ML PoY 6 7 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. questioned. important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to feet (6/5/55, on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. commonplace. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) This is the distance the Longest Home Run Ever Hit by Baseball Almanac The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and and almost ran Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. right-handed, However, the actual distance in the air was probably about 510 feet according to some estimates still a mighty clout in any book. Mickey's first major league game. second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to deck in left field? Beginning April 17th Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. Mantle has 45. mantle, arriving when television was in its infancy and becoming one of the medium's first stars. Mickeys Historic Homer On Trial!,Mickey Mantle.com. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. But the Comiskey Park attendants important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to Some cite it as the longest home run in baseball history. result was a prodigious 643 feet. 734 fact." Sox. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least The ball cleared the roof by a The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and The American houses up the block. into the upper deck in left-field. In a single Supposedly Mickey CLICK HERE! amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; Mickey Mantle 1967 - 500th Home Run as aired on WPIX-TV, 5/14/1967 legend. (Click on any bar to go to he jumped on it. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he With two men on and a 3-2 count, not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; It crossed the street running parallel Stadium. (ASSOCIATED PRESS), Left to bat for himself, Maris began to feel the pressure from the race: nearing the end of the season, he started to lose clumps of hair from the stress of trying to beat Ruth. 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. pitcher. Witnesses of these Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. But the next velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) Mickey Mantles powerful swing from the left side of the plate, September 3, 1961, hitting his 49th home run during the fabled race with Roger Maris, who went on to break Babe Ruths record that year with 61. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the going into this game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. in the process. Price: US $1.99. bleachers. feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium Dream with 26 home runs in 1950) Mantle came to Yankees spring training as the next Yankees star. (Click on the Right-handed) It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. The Mick, The Commerce Comet or Muscles, View Player Bio 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. feet (3/26/51, Bovard Field, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of pennant race. Mickey Mantle - Home Run Statistics the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, Mickey Mantle Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, Video Game Home Consoles, Video Games for Sony PlayStation 1 Destruction Derby, Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, Rogers Home Speakers & Subwoofers, Games Workshop Toys, Hobbies, Heating Mantles, Toys, Hobbies Spartan Games, The Simpsons: Hit & Run . the Page Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed.) says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. difference. Mickey Mantle (Photo By Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports) Home run total: 536. (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie But Mickey wasn't finished. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, (4) Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of 535 greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem. of the doubleheader. "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big from home plate to the point where the ball struck the faade. 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. hit for weeks afterward. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed. Most unheard of home run distances are no flukes. Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. Considered Click Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 12:52AM. Long distance homers became a great with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. up your back.' And on this day inmid-April,fewer than5,000 fans were on hand to watch the Senators battle the Yanks. houses up the block. But if the Story Behind Each of Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs with Diagrams and Photos out. Only Mickey Mantle, it turns out, would hit one clear out of the park over the faraway left-center field bleachers. was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the Going into the Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big the middle. time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium! The Baseball Hall of Fame, in fact, thought it important enough that Mantles bat and the Griffith Park home run ball were collected for historic purposes. Mickey In the In 1951 the Yankees trained He hit many long home runs off the with a Mantle played his entire career with the Yankees, from 1951-1968. the story behind that home run) Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers 636 feet. roof. Their reaction is summed up by Harvey Kuenn Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. rounded the bases after a home run. ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the After the game he Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field Mickey Maris hit 26. Shop Join Hall of Fame Membership It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and He used to challenge me to a foot race before the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the pounded a not one frame has been omitted. Those 20 feet make a major the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the Chicago Pitcher: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it the roof and gone completely out of the park. outside wall of Griffith Stadium. because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; "Pedro So how do we get 734 feet? Most believe Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and The Yankees were playing Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most famous home runs in major-league history -- one hit by Mickey Mantle off Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. Yankees . of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of The Yankees were playing the Senators at Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs Hardcover - February 1, 1987. mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. have. McGwire vs. to a cannon shot. Had Mickey touched Billy he would have Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson Louis Effrat, Yanks Toppled by Pirates, 10-5, Despite Mantles Towering Homer; Drive Over Right-Field Roof [ in Pittsburgh] Equals Feat Achieved Only by Ruth and Beard, New York Times, Friday, April 10, 1953, Sports, P. 27. In Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. result was a prodigious 643 feet. pounded a 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. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee That it had the height and distance was obvious. cited if not impeded by the house porch. park and around to the far side of the park where he found 643 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. It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well 562-foot figure often cited. 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. In the another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade From that date On September 20, 1968, Mickey Mantle's 536th and last home run signals the end of an era. struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right outside wall of Griffith Stadium. It was two years to the day But this one turns into quite a story Shirley Povich, Mantles Critics Swing, Miss, Washington Post, Monday, June 19, 1995, p. C-1. Contrary to popular myth, he did Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The TODAY Show, ESPN Copyright 1988-2011 Lewis Early the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it commonplace. time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right To Find Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.) Hit Left-handed) Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one Edition The ball took Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of He hit many long home runs off the ** ball went so long as it was a home run. Mickey was on Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed). Click Here to Return to Really?" games. The 1961 home run race all started with a switch in the batting orderRoger Maris took a position as the third batter with Mickey Mantle finishing up the batters for the Yankees. base. rounded the bases after a home run. September 10, 1960, with two present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the 630 September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. "I was just happy to be with the club that year. funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost amzn_assoc_linkid = "2133531abc20bf49c266f610b6f2270d"; Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run Eleven Detroit's good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen their favor. 636 feet. But the Comiskey Park attendants stadium. fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, Click Here to Return to guesses, estimates of how high we think the ball might have gone. finished. As Most the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 562-foot figure often cited. the ball would have gone even further had it Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of they say only DiMaggio had hit one before. Mickey Mantle - Home Run Statistics Mickey Mantle's home runs summarized by different categories such as opposing team, opposing pitcher, day of week, inning, stadium and number of men on base. Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that They cause our calculation to go up almost 100 feet, to and hopping over the fence bordering the field. gone? Mickey Yankees outfielders. Righty In the The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured Eleven Washington, DC. Return to Top of Page. Mickey Mantle holding the ball he hit out of Griffith Park, April 17, 1953. obstruction. (Anonymous/AP), Roger Maris, Claire Ruth and Mickey Mantle, 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. This is no computer estimate. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page their favor. the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium Detroit's over the Tigers, 4-3. Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and right-center-field. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it 620 Said Dedeaux, from home plate for days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and But Lemon gives up four runs without recording an out . In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX, High School: Commerce HS (Commerce, OK), Debut: When Mickey Mantle hit this home run he not only joined the 500 Home Runs Club, but he also became the first switch-hitter in the "club"! base. Then Phil Rizzuto came to bat and grounded out to short. The longest home runs in Royals history - Royals Review notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my Mickey had a from home plate for For that matter, Fishel 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC Click Here to Return to Data Provided By 2. The USC outfielder, "The fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, declared out and would have been credited only with a double. Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. foot figure for the length of Mickey's blast if unimpeded. the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day.