Mickey Mantle hit one measured at 734 ft. in 1963.
Ever since I heard about that, I have just loved bombs!
Ever since I heard about that, I have just loved bombs!
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i was at the game where manny hit a bomb at the sky dome in the 5th deck off carpenter like 10 years ago
what a fukin bombComment -
Thanks for sharing that Glen Allen Hill HR footage.Comment -
Originally posted by str
i think you mean 634 ft.. 734 is impossible. but this upton hr here would not even make a top 100 longest ever. i have seen many many longer ones in my life.Comment -
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RoidsComment -
roids make baseball betterOriginally posted by spankieComment -
What a fukin bomb, Awesome!Comment -
Holy shit for both of those. That might be a nonsteroid home run too.Comment -
even 634 is an over estimate ... the physics don't work based on the data.Originally posted by Nicky SantoroComment -
Nope , it was measured at 734 feet at Yankee Stadium on 5/22/63 against K.C.Originally posted by Nicky Santoro
Mantle said it was the hardest ball he ever hit.
He hit 5 others measured at over 600 feet as well. All left handed.
Longest as a right handed hitter was 565 ft.Comment -
....Comment -
willie stargell used to hit homeruns completely out dodger stadium, i mean into the parking lot and the ball doesn t carry in LA. the ball was in flight seemingly forever.Comment -
Nope, sure they were said to have been that far, but they were no where near that, even Mantle, who may have been one of the best long long ball hitters, couldn't do that.Originally posted by str
The physics dont work, to go 700 feet it would require and exit speed of like 175mph, even a 600 foot would have needed 150 mph, number that just aren't feasible.Comment -
Pops hit one at Three Rivers that they had marked in the upper deck in center field, I couldn't believe when I saw the marking, didn't even think it was possible to hit a ball that far. Too bad you couldn't find a link to some of his bombs, he hit some long ones.Originally posted by Foosball ChampComment -
I was 8 when this happened.Originally posted by gryfyn1
Here is the article and the math.
A diagram of Mickey's historic home run on May 22, 1963The Story Behind Mickey's Incredible Blast:
Since we first published our list of Mickey's ten longest home runs we received a great deal of correspondence from our readers commenting on the number one home run on our list: Mickey's home run off Bill Fischer at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 1963. Mickey called this home run, "the hardest ball I ever hit!" and we've found little evidence to contradict his assessment. Mickey was certainly in the best position to judge.
It came in the 11th inning of the Yankees game against the Kansas City Athletics on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Leading off in the bottom of the 11th inning, with the score tied 7-7, Mickey had just swung at and missed a slow curve ball from A's pitcher Bill Fischer to bring the count to 2-and-2. Fischer then tried to blow a fastball past Mickey, and Mickey went after it with everything he had. With impeccable timing, Mickey had one of those moments when everything comes together in complete perfection. Swinging as hard as he possibly could, Mickey met Fischer's heater with the sweet spot of his bat, catching it just right. The sound was likened to a cannon shot by those who witnessed it. Players on both benches jumped to their feet, not only because Mickey's monster shot instantly ended the game, but also because the ball rocketing into the night looked like it would become the first ball to go completely out of the park. Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" The ball streaked through the air in a laser-like line toward the farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. The question was never whether it was a home run or not. It was whether it would be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium.
That it had the height and distance was obvious. But would it clear the façade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the third deck in right-field? "I usually didn't care how far the ball went so long as it was a home run. But this time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium!'"
Just as the ball was about to leave the park it struck the façade, mere inches from the top, with such ferocity that it bounced all the way back to the infield. That it won the game became an afterthought. Mickey just missed making history. It was the closest a ball has ever come to going out of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game.**
The question then became "How far would the ball have gone had the façade not prevented it from leaving the park?" Using geometry, it is possible to calculate the distance with some accuracy. The principle variable is how high the ball would have gone. If we assume the ball was at its apex at the point where it struck the façade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides") we can determine the distance from home plate to the façade. Using calculus we can then determine that the distance the ball would have been 636 feet. There are a number of unknown variables: the wind velocity and direction from which it was blowing, the ball's spin, the speed of the pitch, etc. These unknowns prevent us from ever determining the exact distance to a certainty. (For a more complete explanation of the calculations and complete description of this and other Mantle homers, see Explosion! by Mark Gallagher. This book is the definitive book on Mantle's homers. Unfortunately, it is out of print. It may be available at your local library.)
How the Distance Was Calculated:
So how do we get 734 feet? In the example above, we assumed that the ball was at its apex when it struck the façade. However, observers were unanimous in their opinion that the ball was still rising when it hit the façade. How do we determine how high the ball would have gone? In fact, we cannot. From this point forward all numbers become estimates, depending upon how high we think the ball might have gone. A conservative estimate would be an additional 20 feet. Those 20 feet make a major difference. They cause our estimation of total distance to go up almost 100 feet, to the 734 foot number listed above. Is 20 feet higher a fair estimate? Those present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too low.
To get a precise value we must turn to calculus. There we have a formula to determine distance (or range) more precisely. That formula is range = v2 sin (2y)÷g , where v = velocity (estimated at 230 feet per second), and g = the gravitational constant (32.45 feet per second). Using the 117 foot value (the estimated height of the ball where it hit the façade) in the formula, we get a minimum distance of 740.095 feet, and a maximum of 976.528 feet!
This is a good example of what can happen with estimates, especially computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. Most of the home run distance numbers used today are the result of computer estimates of how far the ball would have traveled without obstruction. (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number listed.) Whether or not this is a fair number is a matter of opinion. However, if the distance of this home run is disputed, then the distance of many of the home runs hit by today's players must be questioned. While the software used for home run distances has greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. It is important to note that many of Mickey's home runs were measured to the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the accuracy of the distance reported.
* The façade was the decorative facing along the roof of the old Yankee Stadium. Mickey hit the façade in regular-season games at least three times during his career: May 5, 1956 off Moe Burtschy, May 20, 1956 off Pedro Ramos, and May 22, 1963 off Bill Fischer.
** Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of Yankee Stadium up to three times during batting practices. Supposedly Mickey did it twice left-handed and once right-handed. Witnesses of these incredible feats include fans, stadium vendors, teammates and opposing players.Copyright 1988-2010 Lewis Early - All Rights ReservedCheck out "Mark McGwire vs. The Mick!" See their stats side by side and graphs comparing their ten longest home runs. CLICK HERE!Search Our Web Sitetable.gadget ** background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0pt none; clear: none; float: none; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt; text-transform: none; top: auto; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; width: auto; word-spacing: normal; **table.gadget span.title a:hover, table.gadget span.title a:visited, table.gadget span.title a:active, table.gadget span.title ** font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 204); **table.gadget span.powered a:hover, table.gadget span.powered a:visited, table.gadget span.powered a:active, table.gadget span.powered ** font-size: 10px; color: rgb(0, 0, 204); **Enter Search Terms in Window Below:
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All Rights ReservedComment -
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The Hill HR was the longest one I have ever seen live. Not sure if we are counting HR derbies in this, but Sosa hit one 520 ft. in the Derby at Miller Park if I remember right. Couldn't find a vid for that one though.Comment -
I wonder why the distances are different in height as well as distance between the two?Originally posted by gryfyn1Comment -
unbelievable. i swear it's the same at olympic stadium in montreal. in the late 70's, pops hit an upper deck homer here measured at 550 ft. from that day till the final day in mtl, they marked that red seat in the upper deck where he hit it. he was the only player that had a seat marked in olympic stadium history.. unreal how mtl is not the only place he did this. boy was he strong.. and there were no steroids back then.. just naturally strong.Originally posted by iceminers26Comment -
Dave Kingman at Wrigley.Comment -
This thread is fvckin great, nice vids guys. Glenallen Hill's in Wrigley is the best one to date.Comment -
He played on the 70's pirates. Cocaine was a helluva drug.Originally posted by Nicky SantoroComment -
I GUESS YOU GUYS FORGOT ABOUT THE HOMERUN I HIT OFF JIM CORSI IN HIGHSCHOOL
BEANTOWNJIM THE ONLY FORUM MEMBER EVER TO BAT AGAINST A MAJOR LEAGUER THAT WILL BE THE DAY WHEN JIM CORSI THINKS HE CAN BLOW A FAST BALL BY YOUR GOOD PAL BEANTOWNJIM.
BOYS THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE ITS BEEN ALL DOWNHILL SINCE BUT I DO HAVE THAT ONE MEMORY
I HAD A GRIN
WHEN JIM CORSIS FASTBALL CAME IN
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I was a nice HR, but ive seen many longer then that.Comment -
i was at that game.. and also, dave kingman hit the top of the roof for a hr..Originally posted by will2surviveComment -
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That's what I was thinking. That's the 500' level at Skydome, and he cleared it by a few rows.Comment -
McGuire hit one over a mile off Randy Johnson in the kingdome.Comment -
[QUOTE=Roadtrip635;10294245]One of the longest HR's I ever saw was GlenAllen Hill when he was playing with the Cubs, hit a HR out of the park and landed on the rooftop of the buildings across the street from Wrigley, 500'+, amazing!
/QUOTE]Here goes an updated link, since the last is dead.Comment
