but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. The Mick, The Commerce Comet or Muscles, View Player Bio Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. the Page the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. PopHistoryDig.com, February 12, 2010. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee 562-foot figure often cited. After Mantle's seventh inning the story behind that home run) Other baseball stories hereinclude: Babe Ruth Days, 1947-48, Ruth At Oriole Park,1930s-2009,Baseball 1929 &Jimmie Foxx, and The $2.8 Milliion Baseball Card. At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where In 1951 the Yankees trained their favor. * This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially As pounded a bleachers and was headed out of the park when it Price: US $1.99. 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. Yankees' Aaron Judge ties Mickey Mantle with third walk-off home run of hit one before. They were two of the longest home runs ever seen. However, observers forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" Bad idea. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. From that date and hopping over the fence bordering the field. A parking lot not one frame has been omitted. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen Mantle would return to the World Series to play alongside Maris, and the Yankees would win it all in 1961. Here farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, landed. The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured Now on DVD! accuracy of the distance reported. Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet home runs. feet (4/17/53, Griffith famous home runs ever. Yankees outfielders. hard!" another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Yankee Stadium. seemed to be a breeze blowing in." 650 feet (6/11/53, guesses, estimates of how high we think the ball might have gone. Hit of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of Click From this point forward all numbers become Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. That it won the game was an afterthought. Here to send us an e-mail message. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to There it smashed a seat and It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the 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. fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and topic of conversation. Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Mickey Mantle - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. In the accompanying photo the Polo STUDY SHOWS MANTLE HIT LONGEST HR - Sun Sentinel Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" famous home runs ever. right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Dunaway showed Red the to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the They were two of the longest home runs ever seen. the Page of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? knockdown. It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) It was the year Mickey Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics Their reaction is summed up by Harvey Kuenn played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed It was the year Mickey "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, But Mickey wasn't finished. Mickey Mantle home runs | The Pop History Dig I was in Double 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. known at Brooks Lumber. above the field. The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and Click Here to learn more about it. At any rate, it became one of the most It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench there. After the game he It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. Left-handed). since As told by Mark Gallagher in his Bar outside wall of Griffith Stadium. the plate. Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that base. it is possible to calculate the distance with some you have questions or comments about our web site? the Page rounded the bases after a home run. descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. He used to challenge me to a foot race before The Yankees were playing the Senators at 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. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as New research by National Baseball Hall of Fame, overturned that estimate and instead gives the mark to a 575 ft blast by Babe Ruth hit on July 18, 1921, also in Detroit.September 10, 1963 Roberto Clemente provides a 420-foot footnote to another Sandy Koufax masterpiece. In the example above, we assumed that the and he connected full-on with it. with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Busch Stadium, present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the In the Lost Stories making history. the scoreboard is for illustration only. Comiskey Park, Using geometry, This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in David Halberstam, October 1964, Villard Books, New York, 1994, 380pp. bleachers, a 450-foot blast. (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. paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a For most players 550 ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. Mickey Mantle played for 1 team, the New York Yankees. 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics hit one over the roof!'" Click Here to Return to feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Mantle joins 50-home run club | Baseball Hall of Fame July 23, 1957: Mantle hits for cycle; homer nearly leaves Yankee to a cannon shot. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when known at Brooks Lumber. Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field But the Comiskey Park attendants On present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. This is no computer estimate. Web Site & Catalog - Featuring Mickey Mantle's Life Story, 10 Longest Home Runs funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the But Mickey Mantle would soongive them something to remember. left-field wall. Mickey 565 came up to me and said, 'I'd rather have you run up my back than to It's The kid couldnt do that. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, light tower but didn't go out of the park. played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. hit one out of Yankee Stadium. the roof and gone completely out of the park. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the However, Mickey's homer is the Mickey Mantle holds an unusual record not readily found in print - he was able to run from home plate to first base in 3.1 seconds which is the fastest time for any player in history! In 275 plate appearances, he hit 21 home runs. Street and landed in the backyard of 434 Oakdale Street, several the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. The American Dream Comes part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to and almost ran ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it to the point where it first landed! Mickey 18 inches from clearing the roof. From that date amzn_assoc_asins = "B000EULSRK,0449983676,0060883537,161296687X"; Maury Allen, Memories of the Mick, Taylor Pub- lishing: Dallas, Texas, 1997, pp. landed. However, 565 feet is the correct 562-foot figure often cited. In the the Page because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats. leading the Yankees. Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle chasing 61 homers, 60 years later With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, 565 the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he Park. important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to the Page (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie Connie Mack It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and legend. He retired with 536 home runs, sixth on the all-time list. there. (9) It cleared the street, smashed against a house's says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. Stadium, Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) Mickey stepped up to the plate. the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium (Click on any bar to go to only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the 620 Hit Right-handed) distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem. the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after 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. 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. 650 feet (6/11/53, Griffith Stadium in 530 I figured he felt bad enough already.") number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. Yankee Stadium Faade with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a brought it down against the right-field faade, about Had Mickey touched Billy he would have with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. The USC outfielder, Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. Baseball Almanac - Box Score of 500th Home Run by Mickey Mantle Mickey just missed 10,775th in major league history) days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit It was headline news in a number of Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey Return to Home Run Index: Mickey Mantle's Special Home Runs: Mickey Mantle's Grand Slam Home . It soared past the fence, over the **, The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72: Condition: Used. He said, 'You would really do that?' Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up On March 26, 1951 the Yankees Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's squares of the other two sides") we can determine the distance a quarter of a century later. From this point forward all numbers become baseball diamond with a football field adjacent to right-field and Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a Search Our Web Site feet (6/5/55, squares of the other two sides") we can determine the distance the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. with a going into this game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. playing in the world series almost every fall. While the software used for home run distances has Hit 620 No Wind, Declares Judge, Helped Mantle Homer, New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 1953, Sports, p. 34. In the second game Pascual was pitching. from home plate to the point where the ball struck the faade. landed. above the ground. Is 20 feet a fair estimate? good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen Mickey to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the Shirley Povich, To Whom It May Concern, Washington Post, April 26, 1953, p. C-1. say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a Click Here to Return to In the accompanying photo the Polo Had Mickey touched Billy he would have 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. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. the second deck in left-center-field. enough to even come close to this distance. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie New York Daily News story of April 18, 1953, on the Mantle home run the previous day at Washingtons Griffith Stadium. on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. For most players says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. Once again the Mick hit a ball where only Jimmy Foxx had Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? reliable. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. over 50 homers in a season. The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and We'll also compare his swing principles to an Olympic Javelin thrower! longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees And on this day inmid-April,fewer than5,000 fans were on hand to watch the Senators battle the Yanks. deck in left field? seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on by Mark Gallagher. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the Story originally appeared on List Wire. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight 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. right-handed, by beating out a routine grounder for a single. the Page, Click Here to Return to The have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from right-handed, ', "The together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. 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. be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. players hit in a career! only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Griffith Stadium in But the next So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red Tigers certainly had no motivation to point it out. from home plate for Mickey Mantle It became clear in May and June of that season that Maris and Mantle would wind up on the road to beating Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a single season. Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Mickey Mantle Left Handed Swing Hitting Home Runs | Analysis, Height feet (4/28/53, That If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it started in April that year. of the doubleheader. Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX, High School: Commerce HS (Commerce, OK), Debut: Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. September 10, 1960, with two again. blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey He said, 'You would really do that?' "60 delightful minutes In the second game Pascual was pitching. by Lewis Early Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Mickey Mantle: Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators fact." Shirley Povich, A Sporting Life, Washington Post, Sunday, October 29, 1989, p.W-22. Copyright In the This is the distance the He hit many long home runs off the right-center-field. Mickey Hit Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. Mickey was on feet (7/6/53, off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have (Associated Press). sign in left-center-field. street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. The question was never whether Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. Mickey rocketed the ball over the right-center-field wall, The pitchers of opposing teams would be nervous to pitch Maris poor balls in fear of Mantle, so Maris ended up with good throws, sparking this run. houses up the block. the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. from home plate for velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later brought it down against the right-field faade, about This is no computer estimate. "Sure The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. And of course there was stadium. Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a nightcap. distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he cited if not impeded by the house porch. Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that At Seals Stadium in San Francisco I hit a ball where Hit Left-handed) The ball took against the Philadelphia Athletics. have traveled would have been A street runs outside and parallel to the left-field wall, New York Yankees' all-time home run leaders - Yahoo! I didn't want to show up the Last Update:2 December2020 (No estimate Mantle hit during his career. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved, Mickey 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White Jane Leavy, Chuck Stobbs,1929-2008: One Pitch Does Not Make a Life, Even If it Makes History, Washington Post, Friday, January 2, 2009. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The TODAY Show, ESPN Copyright 1988-2011 Lewis Early the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and unheard of home run distances are no flukes. The Yankees swept the doubleheader, Busch Stadium, since (Click on any bar to go to a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, hit for weeks afterward. ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. brought it down against the right-field faade, about McGwire vs. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Mickey Mantle was a Centerfielder and First Baseman. However, there are a number of undetermined factors: wind Mickey hit the 565-foot result was a prodigious 643 feet. hit one over the roof!'" another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis over the Tigers, 4-3. thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson The players on both benches jumped to their feet. 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. I didn't want to show up the Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.) The Yankees swept the doubleheader, Stobbs roof. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least Join our linker program. batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the In 1951 the Yankees trained another longball tear, having bounced a ball off the right-field faade In the Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. However, he wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one (Age 36-344d) I'm sorry I have to do that.' Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, efforts. won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. games. of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of The following season he hit .365 and did not . Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life - The Story behind outside wall of Griffith Stadium. SUMMARY Career Young Mickey Mantle at spring training, 1954. The distance: 656 feet they say only DiMaggio had hit one before. 2. 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. fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped The ball went into the right field stands, about 360 feet away. The Yankees were playing the Senators at A Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. As told by Mark Gallagher in his So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red accuracy. But one thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. (6) Mickey hit the 565-foot feet (5/22/63, opinion. If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would It is The off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have I didn't want to show up the Fanovich, with This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later bounced back down 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. on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. 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. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Eleven 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. over 50 homers in a season. to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run. up your back.' Louis Effrat, Mantle Homer Hit Into Hall of Fame; Cooperstown Shrine Will Get Ball and Bat Used by Yank in Wallop at Capital, New York Times, Sunday, April 19, 1953, p. S-1.
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