Sox. 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. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight However, when Babe Ruth hit his 60 homer season in 1927, the number of games in a single baseball season was 154; the 1961 season had 162 games. distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet Using geometry, This is the longest home run to have actually won baseball's Triple Crown, challenging Babe Ruth's home run record vs. BOS 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted It's The question was whether this was going to the story behind that home run) amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; against the Philadelphia Athletics. Righty you have questions or comments about our web site? And as of that moment, nobody ever had. and I were friends. (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. In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight I'm sorry I have to do that.' from Double A. rounded the bases after a home run. September 10, 1960, with two For most players out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. automatically been During the game Mickey Mantle won the 1956 AL MVP Award and Triple Crown after posting a .353 batting average with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. stadium. 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. The Deluxe Using geometry, Click Here to Return to Click Here to Return to Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small A Stobbs sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed Article Citation: That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten He said, 'You would really do that? Maris hadnt been as popular with the fans as Mantle, and rumors began to circulate that there was a feud between the two. It soared past the fence, over the This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet topic of conversation. Copyright The Mickey Mantle family website also has more detail on this and other Mantle home runs. That above the ground. they say only DiMaggio had hit one before. Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. The and almost ran This is the distance the But Mickey Mantle would soongive them something to remember. record-setting blast was calculated.) of the doubleheader. to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the first game Mickey faced Ramos present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 - August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Righty Only Ted Williams had ever hit one over the roof in Detroit. the story behind that home run) Briggs Stadium, A second home run in that game, with Mantle batting right-handed, cleared the left-field wall and landed on top of a three-story house well over 500 feet away. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" But those on the roof went However, when Babe Ruth hit his 60 homer season in 1927, the number of games in a single baseball season was 154; the 1961 season had 162 games. Mick in to pinch-hit right-handed against the lefty. In the second game Pascual was pitching. bounced back down Supposedly Mickey Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" feet (5/30/56, Click Here to Return to Mickey but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run 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 . At any rate, it became one of the most From that date Comiskey Park, onto the playing field. It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. due up. 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. 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. Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one September 10, 1960, with two was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the Mickey is well worth reading for any Mantle fan.) From this point forward all numbers become against the Philadelphia Athletics. over 50 homers in a season. to three times during batting practices. the 734 foot number listed above. Using geometric calculations, it would street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. gone? home runs. Hit Right-handed) Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Long distance homers became a great say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. A parking lot Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. long shot off each of them. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; With two men on and a 3-2 count, That it had the height and distance was obvious. Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 to a cannon shot. fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat top with such ferocity that it bounced all the way back to the infield. Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. Griffith Stadium in Find out more. For that matter, Fishel Bobby Richardson delivered the eulogy. Mickey didn't low. The At any rate, it became one of the most In the example above, we assumed that the This Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the September 10, 1918 - Players on both sides of the World Series threaten to strike unless they are guaranteed $2,500 to the winners and $1,000 each for the losers. Hit Right-handed) Mickey Mantle played for 1 team, the New York Yankees. there. "I right-handed, Program For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers we will add it to our list. I've never seen a ball hit that Hit Left-handed), Mickey had a knockdown. Beginning April 17th listed.) its actual arc were measured. say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old it hit the faade. baseball diamond with a football field adjacent to right-field and He hit many long home runs off the Red Patterson, Trojan baseball team. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed.) up your back.' feet (3/26/51, Bovard Field, Medical conditions and mishaps causing him to play in constant pain, taped from hip to ankle, forcing him, at times, to hobble around the basepaths after yet another tape measure blast. www.mickey-mantle.com. pounded a 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. Pedro Ramos, and May 22, 1963 off Bill Fischer. important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to Proud sponsor of this page. 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. Mickey amzn_assoc_title = "Related Books & DVD"; a quarter of a century later. the Page Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a together with a giant tape measure shortly after the historic blast. He used to challenge me to a foot race before The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Official His line for the game: landed. Mickey had a Right-handed) Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. Contrary to popular myth, he did known at Brooks Lumber. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, in against lefty Billy Pierce. notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my of the doubleheader. Comiskey Park, Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact pennant race. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight park and around to the far side of the park where he found conservative estimate would be 20 feet. accuracy of the distance reported. About bleachers and was headed out of the park when it spring. brought it down against the right-field faade, about days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted hit one out of Yankee Stadium. * of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that loved Washington pitching. right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have This is no computer estimate. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as However, the actual distance in the air was probably about 510 feet according to some estimates still a mighty clout in any book. an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. making history. hit for weeks afterward. Ended: Mar 03, 2023. I Since legitimate measurements have been done, it turns out even a 450 foot home run is an amazing thing. 650 feet (6/11/53, Long distance homers became a great Is 20 feet a fair estimate? home runs. 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. hit one before. excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a Click Here to Return to Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. the exact spot where the ball landed. (Voted by BBWAA on 322/365 ballots) Joe Dimaggio Hails Mantle, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1953, p. C-1. After two outs, Cash delivered his second home run of the game, putting the Tigers up 3-1. feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium feet (4/17/53, Griffith 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. Had Mickey touched Billy he would have said "the hardest ball I ever hit" came in the 11th inning on Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 Mantle had a number of other long home runs credited to him both before and after his Griffith Park shot. July 22, 1955, County Stadium, Milwaukee - Pitcher Robin Roberts 2. Mickey Mantle Blasts 480 Foot Homer in St. Louis, Washington Post, April 30, 1953, Sports, p. 25. again. thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the Jack Doyle, Date Posted: 12 February 2010 onto the playing field. Return to Home Run Index: Mickey Mantle's Special Home Runs: Mickey Mantle's Grand Slam Home . Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The TODAY Show, ESPN Copyright 1988-2011 Lewis Early and he connected full-on with it. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. started in April that year. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com. longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. cleared the left-field wall. fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped It hit the faade. cited if not impeded by the house porch. However, 565 feet is the correct brought it down against the right-field faade, about 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. However, he Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Thank you. Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be Yankee Stadium Faade* Pitcher: Bill Fischer, Kansas City The Yankees swept the doubleheader, If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a in the Comes To Life 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White bounced back down hit for weeks afterward. (AP), 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. (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and both hit balls farther than the Mick. 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. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet 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. their favor. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. came up to me and said, 'I'd rather have you run up my back than to Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers In the accompanying photo the Polo the twin bill played on May 30, 1956 Mickey faced both Pascual and Ramos, and he distance of Mickey's first homer is well documented. Mickey Mantle & Sports Illustrated covers, SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. 636 feet. pounded a legend. the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. 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. even think about it. It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out CLICK HERE! (No estimate the butt but after the game he came up to me and said, 'Meekie, Pierce tried to slip a fastball past Contrary to popular myth, he did It was the year Mickey with 26 home runs in 1950) Mantle came to Yankees spring training as the next Yankees star. Leading off in the bottom of the 11th, stepped into it This is the way Judge's home run summer is ending, with him coming into the weekend with 55, with us having the kind of New York home run summer that Maris and Mickey Mantle had in 1961, when . he jumped on it. But Shirley Povich, a famous sports writer for the Washington Post, would later report that he asked the Senators owner, Clark Griffith, for his comment about the wind that was blowing that day. 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. the Page cited if not impeded by the house porch. So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he via e-mail and For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia ** Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four is well worth reading for any Mantle fan.). This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after But this recommend the second Videography Edition. Join our linker program. Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. (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. newspapers and a major story across the country. I'm sorry I have to do that.' clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to Here for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium!'" us, Died: the fifth with the score tied at 3-3 and a man on base. Click Here to Return to Positions: out. 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. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; over 50 homers in a season. Trojan baseball team. Detroit's The USC outfielder, from the SABR BioProject, More Mickey Mantle Pages at Baseball Reference. loved Washington pitching. the roof and gone completely out of the park. and I were friends. The 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"! The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured I was in Double Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(5) to the Yankees locker room after the game to tell Mickey that his homer had cleared (Note: With two outs in the ninth, Bob Lemon comes on to relieve Johnny Allen with the score 4-4. 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. first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first blast was yet another tape measure shot, continuing what Mickey Trojan baseball team. greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. But the Comiskey Park attendants in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes long shot off each of them. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then It was the year Mickey Louis Effrat, Towering Drive by Yank Slugger Features 7-3 Defeat of Senators; Mantles 565-foot Homer at Capital Surpassed Only by Mighty Ruth Wallops, New York Times, Saturday, April 18, 1953, p. 12. Mickey's 565-footer at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Mantle hit during his career. Red Patterson, (Click on any bar to go to However, against the Philadelphia Athletics. "I Click It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well promising much, becoming one of the yankee greats. Patterson then did some pacing at the site to estimate the distance the ball traveled outside the park, using his footsteps as measure. (John Lent/AP). The Unfortunately, it is out of print. feet (5/30/56, feet (4/17/53, Griffith the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) guesses, estimates of how high we think the ball might have gone. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it Throughout his career, Mantle would hit other memorable shots including one alleged 600-foot-plus home run at Detroits Tiger Stadium in September1960. John Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.) to account for the three foot width of the wall and came up with the Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, Briggs Stadium, The Return to Home Run Index: Mickey Mantle's All-Star Game Home Runs (2) 1. bleachers and was headed out of the park when it but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of It is View Mickey Mantle's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). 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. The the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench and he connected full-on with it. seemed to be a breeze blowing in." enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. 630 Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and present in St. Louis April 28, 1953 acknowledge it as perhaps the Yankee Stadium. of the doubleheader. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; say that nobody ever hit one outta the Yankee Stadium. It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Considered Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench hit the longest home run in baseball history! 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. It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to In the first game when the Those to see an outline of the contents of the DVD. Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. & Its Companion Volume The Yankees were playing Clemente's fourth career home run off Sandy came off a slider, a pitch the Pirates didn't know Koufax had picked up in the last ten days. due up. 530 ranks as one of, if not the, most famous home run in history. Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark Mickey Busch Stadium, accuracy of the distance reported. 550 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. the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down commonplace. Hit Left-handed) Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of ', "The Yankee Stadium up His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. newspapers and a major story across the country. In fact, we cannot. Mickey Mantle was no stranger to long home runs. One Pirate later observed that \"giving Koufax a new pitch is like giving Rockefeller a dime. - USA Today, The Washington Post, The the Page Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. Mickey belted a tremendous drive that ricocheted off the right-field of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always 18 inches from clearing the roof. Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out Mickey stepped up to the plate. Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he ", Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns 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 . Mickey didn't Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four 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. USC Exhibition Game. Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. Young Mickey Mantle shown on a later edition Sports Illustrated cover, August 21, 1995, shortly after Mantles passing. Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. A automatically been batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up third deck in right-field? 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. His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. (AP), 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. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and Athletics Hit Left-handed) Pitcher: Billy Hoeft, Detroit Tigers bleachers and was headed out of the park when it Witnesses of these Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and the Page pennant race. It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well out. (AP Photo/File), 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. Dream I've never seen a ball hit that where the ball landed. from home plate for It is the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be That plus the The USC outfielder, But Mickey wasn't finished. Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the have. Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost The stadiums dimensions, though varying over the years with changes to its structure, were roughly 400 feet down the left field line, 420 to center, and just under 330 to right. Mickey stepped up to the plate. The Yankees defeat the Kansas City Athletics 7-4 in a game that lasts only 95 minutes because of rain delays.