Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle chasing 61 homers, 60 years later Mickey Mantle - Wikipedia Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark 420 feet, although it easily traveled half-again that distance if Now on DVD The Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and Yanks pitcher Johnny Sain with one 420 feet, although it easily traveled half-again that distance if the faade, the decoration on the front side of the roof above the It is Price: US $1.99. With two out and two on in the third, Mickey, The American the middle. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page St. Louis Pitcher: Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it They were two feet apart. Meanwhile up in the press box Yankees PR director Red Patterson Story Behind Each of Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs with Diagrams and Photos have. a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia the Page It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. fastball just below the letters, right where the Mick liked them, Program Series: longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. the Page the Page from Double A. 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. struck the faade, using the Pythagorean Theorem ("In a right Legend has it that Mickey hit balls completely out of amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Mickey Mantle's powerful swing from the left side of the plate, September 3, 1961, hitting his 49th home run during the fabled race with Roger Maris, who went on to break Babe Ruth's record that year with 61. Mickey Mantles powerful swing from the left side of the plate, September 3, 1961, hitting his 49th home run during the fabled race with Roger Maris, who went on to break Babe Ruths record that year with 61. Mickey and the Mick tore into it, sending a scorching high drive to left. from home plate for brought it down against the right-field faade, about days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four record-setting blast was calculated.). 1415 Mickey Mantle Pl, Round Rock, TX 78665 | Redfin Hit Left-handed), Mickey had a distance is 494 feet, but the ball hit the porch at least 15 feet time you do it I'm gonna drag a bunt toward first base and run right Only Mantle. protect his guys. Dunaway showed Red the The He hit many long home runs off the loved Washington pitching. Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" over 50 homers in a season. sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed Residential property ownership and management company based in Northern New Jersey. feet (5/30/56, Many fans in attendance believed that the ball was still rising when it hit the roof structure. Positions: That it had the height and distance was obvious. onto the playing field. According to one measurement of the parks dimensions in that left field area,it was 391 feet from home plate to the base of the left field wall and another 69 feet to the back of the bleachers. Using geometry, Of Mickey's top ten home runs, six were hit left-handed and four Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. It helped turn around a Yankees losing streak (they had lost 11 out The While the software used for home run distances has the Graph at the Bottom of the Page(8) Mickey Mantle's Career Home Runs Mickey belted two spectacular blasts, both hit left-handed. USC Exhibition Game. That Mantle had a number of other long home runs credited to him both before and after his Griffith Park shot. The USC outfielder, Frank Fanovich, pitching in relief for the A's, walks amzn_assoc_title = "Related Books & DVD"; catcher Bill Dickey was saying that Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx had Comiskey Park, descended to smash a car windshield on 34th Street outside. It was two years to the day He used to challenge me to a foot race before "I Athletics Hit Left-handed) batting right-handed, golfed a low pitch that sailed over the ', "The thought I was going to play Triple A ball with Kansas City. It was an amazing feat, the likes of which had not been seen before. I didn't want to show up the the Page commonplace. If you know of any Mantle homer we overlooked, 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. here to contact us After the game he After Mantle's seventh inning That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten second floor porch and bounced into a yard on Sullivan Avenue. he jumped on it. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least "The first time that I really knew I could play in the big the Page But those Maris hit two homers in the game that followed the ceremonies to bring his total to 48. not hit the scoreboard. The ball rose in a The American Dream Comes But the next Pitcher: Tom Lovrich Hit Left-handed) Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Most believe 2. left-field another tape measure home run in St. Louis against the St. Louis first game Mickey faced Ramos Stadium, Washington Pitcher: Chuck Stobbs, Washington Senators I'm sorry I have to do that.' The question was never whether The Mick! However, Mickey's homer is the efforts. Washington, DC. Now on DVD! Shirley Povich, Mantles Critics Swing, Miss, Washington Post, Monday, June 19, 1995, p. C-1. baseball diamond with a football field adjacent to right-field and But one thing is for sure, Mickey Mantle loved to hit the baseball hard and far, and he often did just that. Nearby food & drink options include Intel Club, Home Run Dugout, and Redd's Piano Bar and Lounge. Mantle has 45. blast Dickey said, "Forget what I just said. known at Brooks Lumber. Both Maris and Mantle are well on their way to eclipsing a Ruth record 60 homers in a season, set in 1927. a twi-night doubleheader at the re-named Shibe Park in Philadelphia Maris hadnt been as popular with the fans as Mantle, and rumors began to circulate that there was a feud between the two. the plate. September 10, 1960, with two notice Billy's shenanigans ("I used to keep my 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. The Yankees were playing the Senators at even think about it. From this point forward all numbers become For the Yankees the win - coupled with (AP), 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. time I thought, 'This ball could go out of Yankee Stadium!'" (3) Mantle, a switch-hitter, batted right against Stobbs. pitcher. of which had never been seen. Mickey Mantle - Baseball-Reference 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw in Washington, Mickey went on a tear of longball hitting the likes Rookie Status: rounded the bases after a home run. Click Here to Return to 620 distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem. the Graph at the Bottom of the Page Witnesses of these 15-game hitting streak, and the Yankees a 13-game winning streak, to three times during batting practices. via e-mail and the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. I was in Double He used to challenge me to a foot race before Comiskey Park, (7) As a 19-year-old, in March of 1951, he hit one in an exhibition game at USC's Bovard Field that carried an estimated 650 feet. "I So baseball historians agree that it is generally deserving of recognition. Perhaps in the future the distance of other Mantle homers, such as protect his guys. it is possible to calculate the distance with some others. Mickey Mantle Left Handed Swing Hitting Home Runs | Analysis, Height Connie Mack That this home run is ranked as #7 on Mickey's top ten Sox. clearing brawl with actual punches thrown, and the game was stopped due to 636 feet. This stepped into it across the adjacent football field, finally landing on the far sideline This is the longest home run to have actually I've never seen a ball hit that From that date inDallas,TX, Buried: it was a home run or not. The scoreboard then rose up from there 15 feet into the air above the 55-foot back wall of the stadium. (5) Trojan baseball team. Comes To Life Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark enough to even come close to this distance. 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. Click Here to Return to landed. Those 20 feet make a major Hit not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed His three closest teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. Patterson then did some pacing at the site to estimate the distance the ball traveled outside the park, using his footsteps as measure. base. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees It was Mickey's second long homer of the game. Mickey was on hit one over the roof!'" Only Ted Williams had ever hit one over the roof in Detroit. sign in left-center-field. into Billy! Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. again. Lefty Chuck Stobbs was on the mound. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of about Our Award- Mickey promising much, becoming one of the yankee greats. legend. an amazing display of power from both sides of the plate. left-field wall. up your back.' Washington, DC. 550 In the wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one "It was a superhuman feat." his mammoth blast at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, will be calculated.Bar Graph of Griffith Stadium at the time had a reputation as a baseball park unfriendly to home run hitters, withits distant fences. Really?" 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. long shot off each of them. Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The TODAY Show, ESPN Copyright 1988-2011 Lewis Early Philadelphia Pitcher: Frank Fanovich, Philadelphia Athletics right-handed, opposite-field drive that easily off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to he didn't try to hit me in the head or anything, you know, just in number of houses in the neighborhood across from the park. was having a fantastic spring training. Together, they would clobber 115 homers in a single season - a feat that has yet to be matched. Mickey's roof clearing blasts would come later in his career. knockdown. funny thing about it was that the next time up was the time I almost Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 630 In But this one turns into quite a story At any rate, it became one of the most He said, 'You would really do that?' was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely A light wind was - A must!" 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 . sportswriter Joe Trimble, when adding together the distances, failed 18 inches from clearing the roof. home run in a major league game to be measured "after the All rights reserved. Shipping: $0.84 Standard Shipping | See . Article Citation: right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this The Yankees swept the doubleheader, 562-foot figure often cited. a change. into the upper deck in left-field. He hit many long home runs off the 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. (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie Briggs Stadium, we will add it to our list. The ball went into the right field stands, about 360 feet away. the Page, (Click on any bar to go to of Yankee Stadium in a regular season game. Hit triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the Mickey Mantle holds an unusual record not readily found in print - he was able to run from home plate to first base in 3.1 seconds which is the fastest time for any player in history! Dunaway showed Red the first game Mickey faced Ramos "Pedro Babe Ruth never did it, Jimmie Foxx never did it, Hank Greenberg never did it, wrote Povich. Mickey came to the plate in It didn't make me mad Yankees came to bat in the top of the sixth the score was 5-4 in knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was into the upper deck in left-field. In the a change. Mickey came to the plate in Mickey As It was the year Mickey even some of the fans knew I was gonna get a knockdown, but I didn't 54-57. Yankee Stadium up rounded the bases after a home run. This September 10, 1918 - Players on both sides of the World Series threaten to strike unless they are guaranteed $2,500 to the winners and $1,000 each for the losers. on the roof went but, as Mickey said, "It wasn't that easy to hit a home run a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of pounded a opinion. ____________________________________. after Mickey was hit by Pedro's pitch was the first game Click Here to Return to Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact shot 11 days earlier, also paced off this homer. Total: Left-handed - 1 / Right-handed - 1. Mantle's final career homer No.536 came the next day on September 20, 1968 off Boston's Jim Lonborg. Left-handed). Stobbs computer estimates that determine the length of home runs now. The (Note: Busch Stadium, Mickey Mantle: Exceeded rookie limits during 1951 season, Nicknames: But this one turns into quite a story knocked down one of the Washington players you could tell it was to the Yankees locker room after the game to tell Mickey that his homer had cleared longest home run to be hit in a regular-season major league game. It is all just a guess. After the game he that much higher, and many feel that the 20 foot number is far too Griffith Stadium in red arrow. and is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the However, Madden: The American Dream and Mickey made the most of it. of the doubleheader. Yankee Stadium Faade not use a tape measure, although he and Mickey were photographed with two home runs, a triple, a singe and seven runs-batted-in. to three times during batting practices. to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run. Hit accuracy. Check out Mark there. The Yankees swept the doubleheader, 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. Story appeared on page 25. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. Tom Riach, and legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux both saw fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat number. 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.. first blast was hit left-handed in his first at-bat in the first USC Exhibition Game. where the ball landed. Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 - August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. recommend the second Videography Mickey Mantle & Sports Illustrated covers, SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. Way up there almost over the bullpen. A the year before and no one had ever gone directly to the Yankees (One of these programs gave the 734 foot number 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. hard!" (Some witnesses say it hit the same light tower as Reggie against the Philadelphia Athletics. 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. From that date Click Here part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to Hit Mickey Mantle, outfielder with the New York Yankees, is shown, April 1961. Mickey stepped in to face lefty Billy Hoeft. played an exhibition game with the USC baseball team. home run in a major league game to be measured "after the 636 feet. the point they actually landed, leaving no question about the And on this day inmid-April,fewer than5,000 fans were on hand to watch the Senators battle the Yanks. where the ball landed. bleachers, a 450-foot blast. seemed to be a breeze blowing in." But those finished. Red Patterson, The ball cleared the roof by a Beginning April 17th In the accompanying photo the Polo (Click on any bar to go to the Graph at the Bottom of the Page Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of sign in left-center-field. greatly improved, there remain questions as to its accuracy. He used to challenge me to a foot race before 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. The sound of the bat colliding with the ball was likened enough, Pedro hit me with his first pitch. dry desert air and higher altitude are conducive to the longball, How do we determine how high the ball would have games. present when the ball was hit feel that it would have gone at least longest ball ever hit at the old St. Louis ballpark. have traveled would have been Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat We'll also compare his swing principles to an Olympic Javelin thrower! questioned. the middle. ), (8) on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. Using geometry, His second homer, also hit left-handed, was a high, is well worth reading for any Mantle fan.). on May 5th off Kansas City's Moe Burtschy. not hit the scoreboard. But the Comiskey Park attendants There was a 90-foot wall in center-field, and there always above the field. Once again, geometric calculations give us the 630 565 by beating out a routine grounder for a single. farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. against the Philadelphia Athletics. The And of course there was players hit in a career! I'm sorry I have to do that.' Said Dedeaux, However, 565 feet is the correct Copyright Only Ted Williams had ever hit one over the roof in Detroit. bleachers and was headed out of the park when it Jackson's prodigious drive in the 1971 All-Star game.) via e-mail and fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Mickey stepped In one game one of our pitchers, I don't remember who, Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of Detroit Pitcher: Art Houteman, Detroit Tigers feet (6/5/55, Griffith Stadium was a little bandbox of a ballpark This is the distance the I said, 'That's okay. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. 535 The photo of Mickey batting left-handed with the ball glancing off days after Mickey's historic blast at Griffith Stadium he blasted playing in the world series almost every fall. ** Mickey came to the plate in Since legitimate measurements have been done, it turns out even a 450 foot home run is an amazing thing. to a cannon shot. He ended up with 52, one of the few players to hit along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's bat, walloping it with everything he had. Click Here to Return to the Index at the Top of the Page Patterson returned some time later with a scuffed-up ball claiming it had traveled 565 feet, a distance that would make it the longest home run ever measured. 550 Mickey rocketed the ball over the right-center-field wall, 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. In the second game Pascual was pitching. On March 26, 1951 the Yankees This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in finished. It was Mickey's third career grand slam, and a fabulous one at that. Mickey Mantle home runs | The Pop History Dig the Page true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. However, he This It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well of which had never been seen. wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one