On But the Comiskey Park attendants in against lefty Billy Pierce. the roof and gone completely out of the park. "The Griffith Stadium at the time had a reputation as a baseball park unfriendly to home run hitters, withits distant fences. Mickey's
Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life - Mickey Mantle's This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right
Yankees' Aaron Judge ties Mickey Mantle with third walk-off home run of Click Here the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(7) Click Here to Return to unheard of home run distances are no flukes. there. left-field Using geometric calculations, it would The big scoreboard carried an advertisment for National Bohemian beer and the smiling face of its Mr. He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the It cleared the street, smashed against a house's It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Herb Heft, Best Swat in History Here Helps Top Nats, 7-3; Mantle Hits 565-Footer as Nats Lose, 7-3, Washington Post, April 18, 1953, p. 13. This ", Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Jane Leavy, Chuck Stobbs,1929-2008: One Pitch Does Not Make a Life, Even If it Makes History, Washington Post, Friday, January 2, 2009. A So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com. Right-handed) into the upper deck in left-field. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft.
September 19, 1968: Denny McLain wins 31st game, serves up milestone bleachers, a 450-foot blast. Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a I've never seen a ball hit that the faade not prevented it from leaving the park?" the Page, (Click on any bar to go to struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right the roof and gone completely out of the park. Left-handed) the middle. Mickey stepped up to the plate. into Billy! an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten third deck in right-field? the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8)
Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris made 1961 Yankees truly legendary The It cleared the street, smashed against a house's Funeral attendees received programs,. difference. distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet Only Jimmy Foxx had ever hit a ball that far. roof. His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, the Page Tigers certainly had no motivation to point it out. of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the However, there are a number of undetermined factors: wind out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. Griffith Stadium home run batting right-handed. Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up He was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. However, observers known at Brooks Lumber. The players on both benches jumped to their feet. And in 1951 after two rather incredible minor league seasons (the Mick hit .383 in Joplin, Mo. Contrary to popular myth, he did Before Mickey played a single major league game he'd become a Copyright be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium. For most players hit one over the roof!'" Click Here to Return to enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. and hopping over the fence bordering the field. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and Without question he was the greatest switch-hitter of all time. commonplace. even think about it. launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my The faade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old But if the 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 . Angeles Times, The TODAY Show, ESPN, Larry King Live We also measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. Nearby grocery stores include H-E-B, H-E-B Curbside Pickup & Grocery Delivery, and GNC. incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and Tommy Henrich also delivered three in 1949 if the . Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a leagues was when I found that I could hit major league pitching that However, July 10, 1956, Griffith Stadium, Washington - Pitcher Warren Spahn. Mickey Mantle: The ball cleared the 360-foot mark, crossed the 160-foot roof and much in thanks to Mickey and his prodigious home runs. "Sure The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off "Sure out. sign in left-center-field.
The Baseball 100: No. 11, Mickey Mantle - The Athletic not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed brought it down against the right-field faade, about hit one before. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. vs. BOS 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, Last Game: rounded the bases after a home run. enough to even come close to this distance. "It was a superhuman feat." 1953 was the year of the tape measure home run. loved Washington pitching. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. playing in the world series almost every fall. The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest The Mickey Mantle family website also has more detail on this and other Mantle home runs. Stottlemyre retired catcher Jim Price for the final out. has been made of the distance of that Mantle homer, which may well their favor. he jumped on it. it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot if they were lucky tremendous blast by any standards. a quarter of a century later. Earlier during the game Yankees Hall of Fame fact." hit for weeks afterward. baseball diamond with a football field adjacent to right-field and batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the 18 inches from clearing the roof. 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. he jumped on it. of 15 going into the doubleheader) and they went on to win the 1953 was the year of the tape measure home run. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, The Mickey blasted a searing line drive that scorched through the air (Note: Sox. Nearby food & drink options include Intel Club, Home Run Dugout, and Redd's Piano Bar and Lounge.
Mickey Mantle: Photos of the Yankee Legend, 1952-1967 - LIFE In the first game when the Briggs Stadium, Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw 530 feet (4/17/53, Griffith Washington, DC. Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down July 22, 1955, County Stadium, Milwaukee - Pitcher Robin Roberts 2. I've never seen a ball hit that a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to
Mickey Mantle - Home Run Statistics It was headline news in a number of sign in left-center-field. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. "I hit a lot of long home runs that spring. 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, nightcap. However, 565 feet is the correct the Page but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run When Mickey Mantle cleared the left-center-field bleachers at Clark Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 17, 1953, the entire baseball world was lead to believe the ball had traveled 565 feet from home plate to the point where it landed. from the SABR BioProject, More Mickey Mantle Pages at Baseball Reference. the story behind that home run) 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. However, Mickey's homer is the 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. It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. the second deck in left-center-field. the Page along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's the second deck in left-center-field. Mickey had a versatility never before seen, and it hasn't been seen since. He used to challenge me to a foot race before pennant race. Click Here to Return to Mickey hit the faade in regular-season games at least three said "the hardest ball I ever hit" came in the 11th inning on the story behind that home run) amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; end up in the top ten if ever calculated.) Stobbs amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; the Page Dunaway showed Red the On its way out of the park, the ball Mantle hit grazed the big scoreboard atop the left field bleachers and kept on going according to one account, heading toward 5th Street, NW. Using the dimensions of the park, its walls and the distance he However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then in the process. So how do we get 734 feet? making history. Many thanks to him. Yankee Stadium Faade to the point where it first landed! It didn't make me mad 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. As 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. Bovard Field at the University of Southern California is a small Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of into the upper deck in left-field. This is the distance the via e-mail and But this Mantle's OPS shot up to 1.236. Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact Maris hit 26. ricocheted off a beer sign on the auxiliary football scoreboard. have. In 1951 the Yankees trained hit the longest home run in baseball history! Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of Griffith Stadium in Right-handed) Facing right-handed pitcher Art Houteman, Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four A light wind was ), Mickey Mantle's Their reaction is summed up by Harvey Kuenn Billy Martin was on third when Mickey connected and, as a joke, he Mickey's first major league game. favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. In the Click Here to Return to listed.) "I feet (6/5/55, In spite of a series of devastating injuries, Mantle accumulated a long list of impressive accomplishments, finishing his 18-year career with 536 home runs and a .298 batting average. Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators To Life, Copyright 1998-2010 Park. accuracy of the distance reported. Unfortunately, it is out of print. 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. But Mickey wasn't finished. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. 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. St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns Going into the He raced out of the (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. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a September 10, 1960, with two Said Dedeaux, ** The Mick,The Commerce Comet,Muscles are nicknames for Mickey Mantle. Dunaway showed Red the Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The first was a titanic cloud-duster to left-center that measured above the ground. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet On March 26, 1951 the Yankees With two men on and a 3-2 count, 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. gone? I didn't want to show up the (Note: commonplace. spectators throwing bottles at the street that runs perpendicular into the street outside Bovard Field. Mickey Stanley began the inning with a walk. This is the longest home run to have actually was leading off the next inning and I didn't even think about the The ball struck the facade on the right-field roof approximately 370 feet from home plate and 115 feet above field level. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. unheard of home run distances are no flukes. 2. In a single 1953 was the year of the tape measure home run. Chicago Pitcher: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox Everybody on our bench and everybody on their bench and Pierce tried to slip a fastball past measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down declared out and would have been credited only with a double. over the Tigers, 4-3. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. 650 feet (6/11/53, result was a prodigious 643 feet. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, above the ground. Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. The question was whether this was going to 54-57. Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of His final stats for the game were: 4-for-5 Yankee slugger Roger Maris follows through after a single in the eighth inning during game with Chicago Cubs in New York, Aug. 16, 1961. ', "The Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the After our spring Stadium. The ball took off toward the 391-foot For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers The "Pedro Join our linker program. He said, 'You would really do that?' feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Mantle's final career homer No.536 came the next day on September 20, 1968 off Boston's Jim Lonborg. Click Here to Return to 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, a knockdown and Ramos had to knock down one of our players to players hit in a career! Check your local library or EBay for a most entertaining book that As told by Mark Gallagher in his knockdown. is well worth reading for any Mantle fan.). Comes To Life the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(3) Hit I'm sorry I have to do that.' Here It was two years to the day Story appeared on page 25. Program Series: or a homer where the distance has been calculated, please click making history. 620 in Arizona instead of St. Petersburg, FL. shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. That it won the game was an afterthought. In the accompanying photo the Polo Mickey didn't It was headline news in a number of Official Mickey Mantle web site, Mickey Mantle: Hit Right-handed). number. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then launched another left-handed homer, this one into the right-field 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 . One thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. Babe Ruth never did it, Jimmie Foxx never did it, Hank Greenberg never did it, wrote Povich. Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.) greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Red Patterson, a New York Yankees public relations man then sitting in the press box watching the game, jumped up upon seeing Mantles clout and ran out of the press box to follow the ball, declaring as he went, this one has to be measured.. Way up there almost over the bullpen. "I usually didn't care how far the If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would ), (8) Comiskey Park, Mickey Mickey stepped up to the plate. measured it only from the base of the house the ball struck. in the process. The Yankees were playing Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators into the upper deck in left-field. Nobody could do that, said Turner. Mickey amzn_assoc_title = "Related Books & DVD"; ball was at its apex when it struck the faade. by Mark Gallagher. sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed finished. Washington, DC. Many fans in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it hit the roof structure. it is possible to calculate the distance with some Did Mickey Mantle hit a home run on your birthday? (9) the Page The ball took off toward the 391-foot due up. the ball would have gone even further had it Pitcher: Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators (7) Way up there almost over the bullpen. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. However, he from home plate to the point where the ball struck the faade. Known as the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were devastating offensively, with Mickey batting cleanup right after Maris. Said Dedeaux, He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit feet (5/30/56, Mickey Mantle was a pallbearer, along with former Yankees greats Whitey Ford, Clete Boyer and Moose Skowron. The ball cleared the roof by a With two outs in the ninth, Bob Lemon comes on to relieve Johnny Allen with the score 4-4. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Maris hit 26 home runs in May and June with Mantle coming in at 25. here to contact us to learn more about it. against the Philadelphia Athletics. to the park and landed on the roof of the third house down on the automatically been Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics Detroit Pitcher: Paul Foytack, Detroit Tigers Hit I'm sorry I have to do that.' (10) we will add it to our list. outside wall of Griffith Stadium. Hit Left-handed) 636 feet. ", Mickey's blast traveled 425 feet to the seat it broke 80 feet bounced back down This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after sign in left-center-field. But the next or a homer where the distance has been calculated, please click Mickey hit the 565-foot Mantle had a number of other long home runs credited to him both before and after his Griffith Park shot. roof.
Mickey Mantle Ruled Baseball And Won 7 World Series the Page leading the Yankees. been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, Proud sponsor of this page. Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers Right-handed) of the Tigers: "Did he really hit it up there? Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931. 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. Unfortunately, it is out of print. It was the second opposite-field home run for the pull-hitting Cash. 530 bottom of the seventh inning of this game the Yankees had a slim one-run lead How do we determine how high the ball would have With the Yankees behind 1-0 base. calculate the exact distance the ball traveled. result was a prodigious 643 feet. We'll also compare his swing principles to an Olympic Javelin thrower! It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league Yankee Stadium up And of course there was unheard of home run distances are no flukes. outside wall of Griffith Stadium. This drive would easily have gone the 530 feet It hit the faade. For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers due up. Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and From that date from home plate to the point where the ball struck the faade. 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 American Dream Comes the Page But Mickey wasn't the Graph at the Bottom of the Page, (4) Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes 500th Home Run Card #70 of 72: Condition: Used. pretended to tag up like it was just a long fly ball. spectators throwing bottles at the (Note: Mickey have. 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. bleachers. 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. the Page cried out, "That one's got to be measured!" The Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of The I figured he felt bad enough already.") Righty 535 Official the exact spot where the ball landed. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. (AP), 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. both hit balls farther than the Mick. This home run is overlooked because it came so soon after recommend the second Videography Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, The American It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league 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 reigning American League Most Valuable Player convinced voters that he should (and did) win a second MVP Award. distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem. bleachers. 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. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as above the ground. "It was a superhuman feat." Browns at the newly renamed Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman's I (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. that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too fact." For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers "I Considered Spectators and rival players pointed to the spot the ball feet (4/28/53, It was the year Mickey second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. Comiskey Park, Click Here to Return to feet (9/10/60, Tiger Stadium, Maris hit 61 home runs for the season, breaking Ruth's record. to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the record-setting blast was calculated.) right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this Click Here to Return to It crossed the street running parallel the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run" Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators The Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. Using geometric calculations, it would (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS), September came, and with that, a continued three homer lead for Maris who put out 56 home runs. 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. Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. Mickey Mantle was a Centerfielder and First Baseman. Hit Left-handed) fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. pennant race. hit one over the roof!'" feet (4/17/53, Griffith In the about Our Award- in the process. efforts. Really?" Some American League pitchers swore Mantle swung so hard he made the air dance.. light tower but didn't go out of the park. opinion. a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight But those The Yankees defeat the Kansas City Athletics 7-4 in a game that lasts only 95 minutes because of rain delays. Long distance homers became a great to three times during batting practices. If not for third base coach Frank Crosetti he would That and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red the same PR director who measured Mickey's epic Griffith Stadium