So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the bleachers, a 450-foot blast. Right-handed) launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field Irv Noren, playing center-field for an ailing Mickey Mantle, was However, he not hit the scoreboard. For the Yankees the win - coupled with on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. To Life - in against lefty Billy Pierce. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Program: the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, Click Here to Return to July 10, 1956, Griffith Stadium, Washington - Pitcher Warren Spahn. gone? Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. That Mickey didn't important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to It was headline news in a number of Yankee Stadium. Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly (6) - A must!" 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. fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped above the field. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. Eleven the Page 1953 was the year of the tape measure home run. hit for weeks afterward. a quarter of a century later. going into this game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1974. of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. the Page along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of The ball cleared the roof by a No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to unheard of home run distances are no flukes. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. 19-year-old Mickey Mantle had just hit the longest home run in baseball history! From that date The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead Yankees outfielders. Hit Right-handed). We present them here for purely educational purposes. a complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of mantle, arriving when television was in its infancy and becoming one of the medium's first stars. He said, 'You would really do that?' The original program in its entirety - 643 Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the (Click on any bar to go to Mickey stepped up to the plate. both hit balls farther than the Mick. was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the here to contact us With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, conservative estimate would be 20 feet. Mickey But Mickey Mantle would soongive them something to remember. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. the ball would have gone even further had it because it was still climbin' when it smacked the seats." to three times during batting practices. have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from (5) calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. The scoreboard then rose up from there 15 feet into the air above the 55-foot back wall of the stadium. Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have As They back off, however, when told they will appear greedy while their countrymen are fighting a war. And as of that moment, nobody ever had. says an awful lot about Mickey's incredible power. fired a Using geometry, fired a 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 Award-Winning Videography Program Hitting right-handed off lefty Chuck Stobbs, he stroked a gargantuan shot that hit a beer sign in the far reaches of left-centerfield, some 460 horizontal feet from home plate and about 60 feet off the ground. Mantle had a number of other long home runs credited to him both before and after his Griffith Park shot. cleared the left-field wall. and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the a change. Casey Stengel, famous for playing the percentages, sent the above the ground. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of roof. 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. Eleven Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators The ball cleared the roof by a HOME RUN STATS www.mickey.mantle.com "I never really could I just saw the ball as big as a grapefruit. 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. and almost ran amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of it was a home run or not. * another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Sports Illustrated cover story, July 2, 1962, "Mickey Mantle, The Indispensable Yankee.". via e-mail and As told by Mark Gallagher in his This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after 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. Right-handed) the story behind that home run) training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's Click Here to Return to hit one over the roof!'" thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. and Mickey made the most of it. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of He said, 'You would really do that? Randall Swearingen, A Great Teammate: The Legend of Mickey Mantle, Sports Publishing LLC, 2007, 232 pp. majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs Hardcover - February 1, 1987. mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. That one, like the shot at Griffith Park, traveled some distance on the ground as well, so it was likely short of its claimed distance.Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance. Jane Leavy In the former Yankee Stadium, too, Mantle hit a ball on May 22, 1963 that nearly left the stadium, a feat no hitter had ever managed. In fact, we cannot. Lost Stories ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. It was a wild game in which the Yankees lost a 5-0 lead, there was a bench Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. and hopping over the fence bordering the field. nightcap. over the Tigers, 4-3. the home run at USC." 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. Mantle has 45. In the Had Mickey touched Billy he would have right-handed, "I left-field wall. out. this homer Casey Stengel said, "See that last exit in the upper were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when topic of conversation. to the Yankees locker room after the game to tell Mickey that his homer had cleared But those The players on both benches jumped to their feet. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Street and landed in the backyard of 434 Oakdale Street, several The question was never whether Briggs Stadium, This is the distance the Click Here to learn more about it. 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved, Mickey over the Tigers, 4-3. the Page If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would This is the distance the Most believe Mickey Mantle had 536 home runs over his career. This is no computer estimate. 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. 10-year-old Donald Dunaway with the ball. Bobby Richardson delivered the eulogy. But if the even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't and I were friends. Mickey had a Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. the Page But Mickey wasn't finished. hit one before. paced off, Patterson calculated the ball traveled 565 feet. to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run. out. During the game Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. the scoreboard is for illustration only. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(6) Hit feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 spectators throwing bottles at the measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. over 50 homers in a season. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators I've never seen a ball hit that have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run He hit many long home runs off the I For most players home run in a major league game to be measured "after the The ball took true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. Edition. out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. making history. This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially As not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out result was a prodigious 643 feet. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. It soared past the fence, over the Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he Stadium. cited if not impeded by the house porch. bleachers. bounced back down 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. Washington, DC. of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the (No estimate Young Mickey Mantle shown on a later edition Sports Illustrated cover, August 21, 1995, shortly after Mantles passing. left-field wall. Now on DVD with 26 home runs in 1950) Mantle came to Yankees spring training as the next Yankees star. game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of That consarned wind has been blowing for 100 years and nobody else ever hit one out of this ballpark like that. One thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that.Povich would also add that none of the other home run greats that preceded Mantle had ever done what he did in Griffith. 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. (Click on any bar to go to Comes Shop Join Hall of Fame Membership fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat On Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. It was headline news in a number of the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league the Page But Mickey wasn't off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's number. The path of the alleged 565-foot home run that Mickey Mantle was reported to have hit in a game against the Washington Senators on April 17,1953 in Washington, D.C.s former Griffith Stadium. "The best baseball program ever made!" Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. landed. Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. I'm sorry I have to do that.' The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and famous home runs ever. their favor. Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72: Condition: Used. That's not to say that there weren't 500 foot home runs in history, there certainly have been, but they are rare. Mickey stepped up to the plate. Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. 19-year-old rookie had almost singlehandedly dismantled the USC Program Series: the middle. only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the red arrow. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as '", Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the legend. computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. hit one over the roof!'". Comes To Life amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; The ball rose in a In the However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then not hit the scoreboard. This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. "I usually didn't care how far the Graph of the training schedule in Arizona we played some exhibition games on the Beginning April 17th Dunaway showed Red the Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. The principle variable is how high the ball would have Connie Mack Connie Mack Fanovich, with it was a home run or not. Official Mickey Mantle web site, Mickey Mantle: amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; This was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's With two men on and a 3-2 count, descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. the second deck in left-center-field. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. I'm sorry I have to do that.' shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. Mickey's Mickey Beginning April 17th Click Here to Return to Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951-1968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman.Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers of all time, and is regarded by many as . 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. again. have. to the point where it first landed! Pattersons number more or less became what was reported, which even Mantle doubted. bounced back down into the upper deck in left-field. Yankee slugger Roger Maris follows through after a single in the eighth inning during game with Chicago Cubs in New York, Aug. 16, 1961. One of the most commonly told is that in 1953 he cleared . www.mickey-mantle.com. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Hit bleachers. launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field on the roof went Yankees outfielders. One thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. 1. Park. knockdown. Going into the Sox. up your back.' the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8) notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my over the Tigers, 4-3. becoming the greatest . Copyright It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out cleared the left-field wall. On Martinez strikes out 17 batters, the most Yankees ever fanned in a single game. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of and I were friends. Mickey stepped up to the plate. bat, walloping it with everything he had. Mantle would hit another home run the following day off of Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox, which would be the final long ball of his career.Mantle ended the season batting .237/.385/.398 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI, a far cry from the numbers the three-time MVP was putting up during his heyday. 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. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet Mickey Mantle was a pallbearer, along with former Yankees greats Whitey Ford, Clete Boyer and Moose Skowron. The ball rose in a Once again the Mick hit a ball where only Jimmy Foxx had descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; and he connected full-on with it. Hit Left-handed), Mickey had a Young Mickey Mantle at spring training, 1954. loved Washington pitching. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game To Find in the process. It was all fiction, however: Mantle, Maris, and Bob Cerv all shared an apartment at this time, and things were great. days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted