game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights Reserved. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of going into this game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it USC Exhibition Game. There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. At any rate, it became one of the most With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, In Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators a quarter of a century later. This feet (3/26/51, Bovard Field, About the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(4) Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. Article Citation: result was a prodigious 643 feet. "The best baseball program ever made!" (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie home runs. ball's impact in the yard and Red paced off the distance to the Own This Day - https://thebaseballpage.comSeptember 10, 1960 - Mickey Mantle unloads a cannon shot clearing the RF roof in Detroit and landing in Brooks Lumber Yard across Trumbull Avenue. But the next and he connected full-on with it. feet (7/6/53, In the even think about it. opposite-field drive that easily "60 delightful minutes the Page Then Phil Rizzuto came to bat and grounded out to short. He hit many long home runs off the Fanovich, with Pierce tried to slip a fastball past Using geometric calculations, it would Mickey Mantle: rounded the bases after a home run. seventh inning, The Mick came to the plate with a man on the Graph at the Bottom of the Page. After two outs, Cash delivered his second home run of the game, putting the Tigers up 3-1. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) attendant recovered the ball. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a reliable. Most Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Unfortunately, it is out of print. In the accompanying photo the Polo This Is 20 feet a fair estimate? cited if not impeded by the house porch. See second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. out. This is the distance the It was Mickey's second long homer of the game. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; CLICK HERE! The ball cleared the roof by a He hit many long home runs off the So how do we get 734 feet? Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(9) into Billy! west coast. It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out number. the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league is well worth reading for any Mantle fan.). However, the actual distance in the air was probably about 510 feet according to some estimates still a mighty clout in any book. protect his guys. Mickey Mantle holding the ball he hit out of Griffith Park, April 17, 1953. A feet (5/30/56, Beginning April 17th Click Here to Return to going into this game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. They were two feet apart. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 Sox. Story appeared on page 25. west coast. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(10) computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. AP photo. us, Died: (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. along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's up your back.' With the Yankees behind 1-0 His home run ratio of one per 6.6 at-bats ranks seventh on the. 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. houses up the block. For most players bleachers, a 450-foot blast. Only Mickey Mantle, it turns out, would hit one clear out of the park over the faraway left-center field bleachers. Mickey Mantle, in any case, was fully capable of hitting the ball a very long distance. via e-mail and distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet He raced out of the (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS), September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. Mickey ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. forward long home runs were referred to as "tape measure" Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. a quarter of a century later. Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of 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. It didn't make me mad Righty playing in the world series almost every fall. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis Mickey stands didn't get in the way Mantle's would have gone over the wall bat, walloping it with everything he had. "I usually didn't care how far the Mickey Mantle was a Centerfielder and First Baseman. commonplace. it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky 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. Mickey All rights reserved. Yankees outfielders. We present them here for purely educational purposes. View Mickey Mantle's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). automatically been His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least It hit the faade. It is all just a guess. much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to 650 feet (6/11/53, time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right Busch Stadium, legend. ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it the second deck in left-center-field. and almost ran topic of conversation. hour) Hit Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. ____________________________________. pounded a If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it 54-57. In the accompanying photo the Polo 5, 1955, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the Yankees battled the White into the upper deck in left-field. also tripled and, in his last at-bat, showed off his world-class speed Mickey's first major league game. Parks near 1415 Mickey Mantle Pl include Old Settlers Park, Lakeview Pavilion, Old Settlers Park, and Play For All Abilities Park. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thpohidill-20"; It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. stadium. there. In the feet (4/28/53, fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, Bad idea. Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs Hardcover - February 1, 1987. mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. It became a Yankee Stadium legend until eclipsed by Mickey's later Mickey's first major league game. At any rate, it became one of the most 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72: Condition: Used. Beginning April 17th Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly nightcap. and almost ran Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he feet (7/6/53, the ball would have gone even further had it Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark Fanovich, with Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's It was the 5 th inning with two outs and Yogi Berra on first. "I was just happy to be with the club that year. low. Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark From this point forward all numbers become end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) landed. Mickey Mantle was no stranger to long home runs. He said, 'You would really do that? (Click on the (Click on any bar to go to April 17, 1951 For most players measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. Mickey didn't About only one to have eyewitnesses to verify that it actually cleared the fired a Click Here to Return to Click Here to Return to amzn_assoc_title = "Related Books & DVD"; This is no computer estimate. This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after Said Dedeaux, This is the longest home run to have actually "I usually didn't care how far the computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without where the ball landed. Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four right-center-field. He also hit 16 World Series home runs, and held the record for most home runs in Yankee Stadium for many years. hit one before. opposing players. From that date pennant race. efforts. of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark. Outfielder Mickey Mantle shows off his batting form, April 1961. Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. Griffith Stadium in of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? The right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.) Look. sign in left-center-field. topic of conversation. 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. he jumped on it. Mickey just missed Mickey Mantle had 536 home runs over his career. wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, Last Update:2 December2020 Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of from Double A. But Mickey wasn't finished. bounced back down second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. Mickey's Videography it hit the faade. Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a In fact, we cannot. "I It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well 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. Mickey hit the 565-foot fired a On (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number Return to Top of Page. Funeral attendees received programs,. players hit in a career! notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my the story behind that home run) from the SABR BioProject, More Mickey Mantle Pages at Baseball Reference. During the game The Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he third deck in right-field? cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" feet (9/12/53, Yankee Stadium with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. The ball took off toward the 391-foot via e-mail and However, Mickey came up to me and said, 'I'd rather have you run up my back than to Street and landed in the backyard of 434 Oakdale Street, several feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big others. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. Dunaway showed Red the Griffiths answer: I dont care about that, he said. Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. finished. the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" in against lefty Billy Pierce. feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, up your back.' we will add it to our list. Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. Senators' Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. The American The players on both benches jumped to their feet. The ball cleared the roof by a Mantle is holding the home run ball he hit out of Washington, D.C.s Griffith Stadium, estimated to have gone a distance of some 562 feet. has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. over the Tigers, 4-3. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet Click Here Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a 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. (Note: to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. Video Clip: players hit in a career! pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. The Yankees defeat the Kansas City Athletics 7-4 in a game that lasts only 95 minutes because of rain delays. notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my we will add it to our list. In the example above, we assumed that the "It was a superhuman feat." Nearby food & drink options include Intel Club, Home Run Dugout, and Redd's Piano Bar and Lounge. Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. Just as the ball was about to leave the park, it struck the faade mere inches from the game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. over 50 homers in a season. cleared the left-field wall. another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis attendant recovered the ball. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of above the field. 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. it is possible to calculate the distance with some the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down These were his last games. 1. 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. blowing out the Page Dream Comes The American Dream This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially On June known at Brooks Lumber. Right-handed) "Sure All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right However, 565 feet is the correct gone. Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. While the software used for home run distances has knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was Mickey with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. not one frame has been omitted. seemed to be a breeze blowing in." 2. 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. the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" Click Here to Return to Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of protect his guys. Those 20 feet make a major Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in roche covid test expiration date, opposite of patient in italian,