Baseball Physics

**MrX** · 04-21-08, 09:06 PM

Originally posted by WestsidePete

Hit along foul line +11 Feet

Huh?

**WestsidePete** · 04-21-08, 09:21 PM

Originally posted by MrX

Huh?

got me too...not sure on this one either...was bunched in with the rest...

**turnip** · 04-22-08, 06:43 PM

Never seen a 400 foot fly ball to center field hit along the foul line

**pico** · 04-22-08, 08:37 PM

Originally posted by WestsidePete

Interesting read on the physics of baseball I found:

Factors effecting distance added to a 400 foot fly ball to center field:

Condition- Distance added

1000 feet of altitude +7 Feet
10 degrees of air temp +4 Feet
10 degrees of ball temp +4 Feet
1 inch drop in Barometer +6 Feet
1 mph following wind +3 Feet
Ball at 100 % Humidity -30 Feet
Pitch, +5 mph +3.5 Feet
Hit along foul line +11 Feet

A curve ball that seems to break over 14 inches never actually deviates from a straight line by more than 3 * inches

There is no such thing in baseball as a rising fastball

The collision of a ball on the bat lasts only about 1/1000th of a second

That a batted ball should be able to travel no farther than 545 Feet

what is the distance record for HR? who hit it and how fast was the pitch?

**WestsidePete** · 04-22-08, 09:48 PM

Not sure picoman...most long hr's back in the day weren't hit as far as was told...here's a read on homeruns....

"According to three physicists who have worked independently and have written extensively on the science of baseball, the human limit for hitting a baseball at sea level, under normal temperatures and with no wind, is somewhere between 450 feet and 470 feet."

This would seem to go against the frequent claims of 500 foot-plus home runs, and it's likely true to say that both clubs and players have a self-promoting interest in...erring on the long side when it comes to estimating distance, shall we say. "Chicks dig the long ball", as a MLB slogan once said. :-) The above article, in particular, looks at a home run estimated by the Seattle club at 538 feet, and comes up with a figure of 474 feet.

There has been at least one legitimate 500-ft shot though. In Fenway Park, there is a single red seat in right field among the green bleachers, about 2/3 of the way up - it marks the landing place of the longest home run hit by Ted Williams. It's 502 ft from home plate; it may not be the longest, but proves 500 ft+ is attainable in the right conditions.

**LT Profits** · 04-23-08, 08:29 AM

Haven't there been some 500-foot home runs in the Home Run Contest at the All-Star Game?

**pico** · 04-23-08, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by LT Profits

Haven't there been some 500-foot home runs in the Home Run Contest at the All-Star Game?

the pitches in those contest are not as fast as some of the fast balls.

**LT Profits** · 04-23-08, 04:33 PM

RIGHT, so in theory, ball shouldn't travel as far.

Pitch, +5 mph +3.5 Feet

**clonecat** · 04-23-08, 04:44 PM

I heard that Mantle hit one well over 600 ft once.

**WestsidePete** · 04-23-08, 04:47 PM

Here's a read on homeruns at the Rockies Stadium...

The altitude's effect on the baseball
Coors Field is known as a hitter's paradise with good reason, as the ballpark's mile-high altitude decreases air resistance on batted balls. Research has shown that a baseball travels 9% farther at 5,280 feet than at sea level. It is estimated that a home run hit 400 feet in sea-level Yankee Stadium would travel about 408 feet in Atlanta (1,050 feet) and as far as 440 feet in Denver.
Another major reason for the explosion of runs and home runs at Coors is that the low air pressure causes pitches to break less severely. Curveballs have about 30 percent less snap in the thin air, although fastballs have more oomph because of the decrease in air resistance.

Although the Rockies' field dimensions seem large (347' 414' 350', left to center), they are not nearly enough to offset the hitter's advantage created by Denver's elevation. The sea-level equivalent dimensions are just 315' 377' 318'.

**WestsidePete** · 04-23-08, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by clonecat

I heard that Mantle hit one well over 600 ft once.

I read that...it was made measured after rolling on the ground as that distance

**mrburns443** · 04-23-08, 05:05 PM

I know dead center at the polo grounds was over 480 feet from home and there were 3 players to hit it over the fence during a major league game. I know Aaron did it but I forget the other two.

**WestsidePete** · 04-23-08, 05:07 PM

Going, going, gone! These famous words are heard all around the United States in the famous game of baseball. Fans are fascinated by the plays, hits, and scoring. The most exciting aspect of the game is a home run. The distance of the longest batted baseball is said to be Mickey Mantle's home run in 1951. It was at spring training in an exhibition game at the University of Southern Carolina measuring at 656 feet (approximately 200 meters). However, there are disputes about this distance.

Some statisticians and baseball experts believe that Mickey Mantle's 565-foot (approximately 172 meters) blast off Chuck Stobbs of the Senators in Washington in 1953 was the longest batted baseball ever. This measurement is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest home run ever measured. Guinness also clarifies that Mickey Mantle's home run measured at 643 feet (approximately 196 meters) is the longest home run measured "mathematically after the fact." This home run was hit at Tiger Stadium in Detroit on September 10, 1960.

Home runs that are hit out of the ball park are measured from where the batter stands to where the ball lands. Therefore, the distances are not accurately measured and are approximations. Mickey Mantle hit some of the longest home runs in the major leagues. His shots that reached over 600 feet set new records in the world of baseball.

**WestsidePete** · 04-23-08, 05:08 PM

Two of the longest Home Runs are credited to Micky Mantle. 656 feet on April 17, 1953 at Washington's Griffith Stadium. The other being 634 feet at Detroit's Brigg's Stadium on September 10, 1960.(This was later estimated to be closer to 643 feet.) The Home Run hit in Washington first coined the phrase "tape measure job."

Reggie Jackson hit a ball that might have been the longest but, it hit the light tower in Detroit. Dave Nicholson slugged a ball that cleared the roof and an alley before landing on a softball field at old Comisky Park. It was estimated at about 600 feet. Dick Allen hit a ball that hit the roof facade in center field in Detroit. The distance measured at 415 feet. No far enough you say. It is also 85 feet high. That was July 6, 1974.

Here are some of the balls hit at different stadiums.

541-Frank Robinson (Baltimore Memorial) 5/8/66, 545-McGwire (Busch) 5/16/98, 573-D. Nicholson (Comisky) 5/6/64, 535-Stargil (Olympic) 5/20/78, 630-Kingman (Wrigley) 4/14/76, 529-Galarraga (Pro Player) 5/31/97, 528-Fielder (County) 9/14/91, 500- Doby (KC- Municipal) 5/29/55.