Longest Ever by Ballpark

[Xsvfan]

Is there a record anywhere of the longest home run hit at each major league ballpark?

Someone asked about the longest ever at Mile High Stadium in Denver (soon to R.I.P. as the Broncos go to the corporate-name-whoring Invesco Field).

Someone also mentioned a 610-foot homer by Harry Heilmann. First I've heard of that.

I'm pretty sure Mickey Mantle holds the records for longest home run at Yankee Stadium, Griffith Stadium in Washington, and possibly also Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, and the original Comiskey Park in Chicago, though with several homers leaving the confines of those buildings, it's hard to tell. I know Ted Williams has the longest ever IN Fenway Park, but there may have been a homer or two over the Green Monster and out that were longer. And I've heard stories supporting both Williams and Mantle for longest ever at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, while the Indians claim Luke Easter holds that record.

If there's a record of these records anywhere, however close to being definitive, I'd love to see it.

[Hugh Duffy]

Here is a link that mentions Heilmann's allegade 610 foot homerun.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/baseball/bol/chronology/1921JULY.html#day8

[Xsvfan]

>Here is a link that mentions
>Heilmann's alleged 610 foot homerun.
>
>
>http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/baseball/bol/chronology/1921JULY.html#day8

That doesn't look all that definitive. I'm gonna need more convincing.

[trosmok]

Mickey did indeed hit some really long homers, but the record holder for Griffith & Yankee Stadiums, Forbes Field, and the Polo Grounds was Josh Gibson. His ape measure shots against MLB pitchers in the all-star and exhibition games were frequently 600+, the longest being the one out of Yankee Stadium that was estimated to be 630ft.

[The Commissioner]

Unfortunately, none of these can be officially verified.

[bly11]

Actually, I believe the Forbes and Griffith shots are documented in a couple of places; not sure about the Yankee Stadium one. Researchers are finding a lot more first-hand accounts of Negro League games these days, as they go back through old newspapers and the like.

[vegaswill]

Lou Brock, yes that Lou Brock hit a ball into the centerfield bleachers at the Polo Grounds before he was in the Majors. Jackson's homer in Detroit may still be going of it hadn't hit the light tower. Dave Nicholson hit one over the roof which cleared an alley before landing in a softball field outsidr of old Comiskey. That had to be well over 600 feet.

[Chisox73]

During the 2000 season,Glenallen Hill of the Cubs launched one onto the roof of an apartment building across Waveland Ave.that was measured around 500 feet.Hill claims it was 700 feet.
Dave Kingman hit one that landed about 4 houses up Kenmore Ave.(north of Waveland)against Philadelphia in 1979.I believe that was the game the Cubs lost 23-22.(I guess the wind was blowing out at Wrigley that day.)

[trosmok]

Tried to edit my earlier reply, but too much time has elapsed. It should read tape measure, sorry Josh. Read an article in an old Sporting News that stated Cecil Fielder was the only player beside Gibson to hit one completely out of Tiger Stadium, although Mickey whacked one off the light stanchion that would have cleared the top.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-07-02 AT 10:41 PM (EST)]The problem with trying to determine who hit the longest home run is some of the monster shots from many years ago are seldom metioned. Two of these were shots by Jimmy Foxx and Babe Ruth. Both of these sluggers had several tape measure jobs, here are a few. Foxx hit one ball on to the roof in left field in Comiskey Park and some say he also hit one that cleared the roof at Comiskey. Ruth hit 3 shots that cleared the roof in right field at the Polo Grounds and landed in Manhatten Field across the street on a fly. Some drives because they took place in the years 1916-1919 in the dead ball era. The Home Run Encyclopedia gives an account of one of Ruth's longest drives and one of the longest hit ever. On August 16, 1927 Ruth hit his famous "roof topper" home run at Comiskey Park. The ball was hit over the roof in right field and accross Wentworth avenue. In those days sportswriters would often view the game seated on the roof.On that day there were 15 writers from N.Y, Chicago and other cities and all agreed Ruth's shot never touched the roof and cleared the 52 foot wide roof by a wide margin.
I did see the Glennallen Hill home run at Wrigley that was hit over that high building accross the street. I have several over head and street level views of that building and that was really some shot. One of the longest, highest that I myself have ever seen. I did see many of Mickey Mantle's tape measure jobs and they were some of the longest I have ever seen in my time, too many to mention.

[researcher]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-08-02 AT 00:28 AM (EST)]No one should concern themselves with the 600 ft+ idea.
The promotional hype about Gibson not getting his shot.
Robinson took it; and Josh died shortly there after. He didn't
600 ft hr's everywhere he played, and he didn't hit 800 hr's,
over fences throughout his careear, playing barnstorm games
against local yokles 1/2 the time.

I doubt if he was much better than Campy, and if he was as good
that would be great.......There has been more bs about Josh Gibson
than any player in the history of the game.

Paige likely would have won 300+ gms; I doubt if "Poor Old Josh"
would have hit 550 hr's; you must understand he couldn't hit Paige,
and most of the games were like playing against class D or lower.
And they played on many fields w/o fences---hit the gap, and the
ball rolls forever.

The ball can only be compressed so much, then friction slows it up.
In normal conditions, its unlikley that many balls were hit over 550'
by anyone: mabe one by Gibson,one by Mantle, Ruth in spring training,
and a couple other players...that's 550' not 600'

[trosmok]

Au contraire, researcher. Perhaps you could spend more time in the ballpark and less with your nose in a book or glued to a monitor. I have personally witnessed a few 600ft.+ dingers, including Cecil Fielder's and Glenallen Hill's. When the wind is blowing out of Wrigley, 700ft+ is not out of the realm of possibility. Same for old Comiskey, and if the wind didn't swirl so bad by the bay, Candlestick. As far as stating that Gibson's accomplishments are bs, perhaps you should not be so quick to judge. Not all the evidence of his prowess is purely anecdotal, you simply aren't looking in the right places. Babe Ruth was not known as the "White Josh Gibson" for nothing!

[Rube]

Babe Ruth was not known as "the white Josh Gibson". I have never seen the term used. Considering Ruth retired from the game only 5 years after Gibson began his career, it seems unlikely that such comparisons were made except posthumously and much more likely that the opposite was said, contemporaneously, of Gibson.

[researcher]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-15-02 AT 04:13 AM (EST)]Rube is correct, Gibson was the Black Babe Ruth...and no one ever
hit a ball 650 ft w/o a tail wind.

You shouldn't believe everything some promotional hypester says
about how far the ball traveled.....and who cares how far it went
in a strong wind.........

I know of a guy who bet he could hit a Golf ball over 600 yds w/o
a wind behind him...and he did it! On a flat surface.

[traetzloff]

Researcher, there is story about the guy who goes to a frozen lake in Canada and hits the golf ball 3 miles. Probably untrue, but it illustrates the problem with "tape-measure" home runs. The only way to truely measure a home run is to measure where the arc would have come back to earth. On a pop fly it is easy to see that the ball only traveled 300 feet and came back to earth. When the ball leaves the yard it almost always come into contact with something that interferes with the flight of the ball. I disagree that you have to have a tailwind to go 600 feet. Home run contests are just that, contests, but they can give an idea of how to properly measure the distance. In the home run contest at SAFECO last year, at least 2 balls were hit into the upper deck in right-center field. That means that those balls came to rest about 500 feet from home plate and at least 60 feet above ground level. Both shots were past their zenith, but neither was falling rapidly - how far would they have gone if the forward motion had not been stopped? Until somebody comes up with an accurate way to unify the "tape" measurement, we will all continue arguing about who hit the longest shot.

I do know who hit the ball the hardest that I have ever seen. Mark McGwire took a Randy Johnson fastball into the wall at the top of the upper deck in the Kingdome, just below the roof. That ball would easily have traveled 600+ if its progress had not been blocked by the stadium wall. Even Randy admired that one. No ball has ever been hit harder in Seattle.

Tim R

[KingStreetSquire]

Harmon Killebrew hit the longest ever at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

[researcher]

The man who hit the golf ball over a mile was "Titanic Thompson",
and he won a big bet with it. He was a famous oldtime big gambler.

[Chisox73]

On May 6,1964,White Sox slugger Dave Nicholson hit drove a shot over the left field roof roof at Old Comiskey Park that was estimated at 573 feet.Unofficially,that's believed to be the longest blast ever at Old Comiskey.

[yellowdog]

I believe the longest home run at Turner Field was hit by Sammy Sosa off Greg Maddux. I'm pretty sure the date was Sept. 1, 2001. I remember it was a Saturday afternoon game, Labor Day weekend because the talk around the stadium that day was the Braves had signed Julio Franco from the Mexican League over night and the old man was in the starting line-up at first base.

But the talk about Franco ended abruptly when Sosa came up in the first inning and took Maddux 471 feet to dead center, a shot that left everyone breathless. The scoreboard said that was the longest HR ever hit there and I'm fairly certain it still is today. I think Bonds hit a couple last year and Piazza hit one that came close but didn't surpass Sosa's blast.

As for the longest ever hit at Fulton County Stadium, I don't know what it would be, but I saw Willie McCovey hit one in 1966 that I can't imagine was ever topped. And it went as high as it did far.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Originally Posted by Chisox73

On May 6,1964,White Sox slugger Dave Nicholson hit drove a shot over the left field roof roof at Old Comiskey Park that was estimated at 573 feet.Unofficially,that's believed to be the longest blast ever at Old Comiskey.

I don't dispute your post or your source but I could never figure out how anyone can come up with a specific number of feet, such as 573. No doubt a long drive to have cleared the roof but who can measure the exact footage or even within a few feet. Not to knock your post I have seen dozens of other tape measure home runs with what is claimed to be the exact footage, can't be.

Getting back to old Comiskey I have read articles that stated that Ron Kittle and Elston Howard hit home runs that landed on top of the roof in left field. If Nicholson did clear the roof it of course would indicate his was longer.

Always been interested in the history of the tape measure jobs but unfortunately many of Babe Ruth's many long home runs have been lost over the years. I can't say he hit the longest, I doubt we can ever say with certainty who did but Ruth is on that list of some of the longest.

My source is the most accurate source there is when going back in time. The public library, New York Time archives. Accurate because the game recaps are in print the following day of the game, not accounts based on memory subject to exaggeration or just faulty memory.

Getting back to Comiskey. August 16 1927 Ruth hit one out of the park in right field. In those days some reporters would have a perch on the grandstand roof to view the game. On that day Ruth hit a drive that cleared the 52 foot wide roof and landed on the other side of Wentworth Avenue. Those reporters, at least a dozen of them stated the ball never touched the roof.

Ruth's last home run number 714 was hit over the roof at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.I mention these two by Ruth because it's obvious that they had to be long because they cleared those roofs. In those archives I found many others that were hit to the power alleys and dead center. Ruth hit at least 3 into the center field bleaches at Yankee Stadium at the 487 foot marker. At least 6 into the center field bleachers at Detroit at the 455 foot marker. One of his home runs in Yankee Stadium landed a dozen rows of seats from the scoreboard in right center field. While with the Red Sox he hit one home run to dead center at the 488 foot marker. Obviously those CF home runs had to be close to 500 feet to clear the wall at that point.

Again we can never be sure who hit the longest but interesting to get into this subject and read about all those long, long home runs.

BTW of all the one's I've seen, this may not be the longest but had me rubbing my eyes, what a shot. Glenallen Hill at Wrigley, not only long but high, very high. I don't recall if it landed on the roof of a building accross the street but I know it struck that building near the top.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

HELLO LOU BROCK OF THE CHICAGO CUBS HIT A HOMERUN IN THE CENTERFIELD BLEACHERS AT THE POLO GROUNDS IN A 1ST GAME OF A DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST THE NEW YORK METS ON 6-17-1962 and on 6-18-1962 hank AARON of the braves also hit a homerun in the centerfield bleachers a day after brock hit his. JOE ADCOCK HIT one in the centerfield bleacher at the polo grounds in 1953 also. TAKE CARE DONALD DETROIT MI

[Chisox73]

Originally Posted by SHOELESSJOE3

I don't dispute your post or your source but I could never figure out how anyone can come up with a specific number of feet, such as 573. No doubt a long drive to have cleared the roof but who can measure the exact footage or even within a few feet. Not to knock your post I have seen dozens of other tape measure home runs with what is claimed to be the exact footage, can't be.

Getting back to old Comiskey I have read articles that stated that Ron Kittle and Elston Howard hit home runs that landed on top of the roof in left field. If Nicholson did clear the roof it of course would indicate his was longer.

Always been interested in the history of the tape measure jobs but unfortunately many of Babe Ruth's many long home runs have been lost over the years. I can't say he hit the longest, I doubt we can ever say with certainty who did but Ruth is on that list of some of the longest.

My source is the most accurate source there is when going back in time. The public library, New York Time archives. Accurate because the game recaps are in print the following day of the game, not accounts based on memory subject to exaggeration or just faulty memory.

Getting back to Comiskey. August 16 1927 Ruth hit one out of the park in right field. In those days some reporters would have a perch on the grandstand roof to view the game. On that day Ruth hit a drive that cleared the 52 foot wide roof and landed on the other side of Wentworth Avenue. Those reporters, at least a dozen of them stated the ball never touched the roof.

Ruth's last home run number 714 was hit over the roof at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.I mention these two by Ruth because it's obvious that they had to be long because they cleared those roofs. In those archives I found many others that were hit to the power alleys and dead center. Ruth hit at least 3 into the center field bleaches at Yankee Stadium at the 487 foot marker. At least 6 into the center field bleachers at Detroit at the 455 foot marker. One of his home runs in Yankee Stadium landed a dozen rows of seats from the scoreboard in right center field. While with the Red Sox he hit one home run to dead center at the 488 foot marker. Obviously those CF home runs had to be close to 500 feet to clear the wall at that point.

Again we can never be sure who hit the longest but interesting to get into this subject and read about all those long, long home runs.

BTW of all the one's I've seen, this may not be the longest but had me rubbing my eyes, what a shot. Glenallen Hill at Wrigley, not only long but high, very high. I don't recall if it landed on the roof of a building accross the street but I know it struck that building near the top.

I totally understand where you are coming from about Nicholson's 1964 blast.Back then,there really was no definate way to measure tape measure balsts.There was actual doubt whether or not Nicholson's blast actually cleard the roof on the fly.Some believe it scraped the back of the roof,then went into the park beyond left field.

The was an instance in 1970 where White Sox 3B Bill Melton was not given credit for a roof top blast.According to many,Melton's blast landed in a gutter on the edge of the roof.There is really no footage of that,because the Channel 32 cameras at the time could not pan up that high,and all that was seen was the few patrons in the left field upper deck point up.

In 1983,the field was moved up 8 feet top accomodate hitters.Thus the barrage of rooftop blasts from Ron Kittle.In later years,Greg Luzinski,Carlton Fisk,and George Bell have found the left field roof.Bell's blast came the day after he parked a 500-foot shot in the center field bleachers,one of only about a half-dozen ever at Comiskey.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

More from the book "The home Run Encyclopedia" in a section titled Long- Distance Home Runs, by baseball historian William J. Jenkinson. Jenkinson is noted for his research in particular on the long home runs in the history of the game.

Just a small number from that book.

Ruth's "roof topper" clearing the roof in RF Comiskey park 1927.

Lou Gehrig in that same season hits one that just makes the roof in RF at Comiskey.

Cecil Fielder clears the LF bleachers at Milwaukees County Stadium Sept. 14, 1991.

Mantle's home run at Griffith April 17, 1953. Credited by many at 565 feet but some dispute that distance saying that is not where the ball actually touched ground. Still, no ball had ever left the park at that point and most agree it was one of the longest ever at Griffith.

Mantle's "roof topper" that landed on the roof in right center field at Detroit, Sept. 10, 1960.

Dick Allen Hits the roof facade at Detroit in deep left center, July 6, 1974. Distance to facade estimated at 415 feet and 85 feet high.

Jimmie Foxx clears the roof in LF at Comiskey. supposedly the only time a hitter has "cleared" the roof in LF.

Frank Howard reached the upper deck 24 times at Washiigton's R.F.K Stadium from the left field line to straight away center field.

Dick Allen credited with clearing the 75 foot high LF grandstand at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium 18 times.

Cecil Fielder credited with hitting more than a few that reached the roof at Detroit's Tiger Stadium.

[Aegis]

According to BaseballLibrary.com (no official date given, unfortunately) Jim Thome hit a 511-foot shot at Jacobs Field once, setting a record not only for that stadium but for any and every stadium in Cleveland.

[tmorss9]

Originally Posted by trosmok

Read an article in an old Sporting News that stated Cecil Fielder was the only player beside Gibson to hit one completely out of Tiger Stadium, although Mickey whacked one off the light stanchion that would have cleared the top.

Actually, lots of guys have popped one out of Tiger Stadium, more out to right field that left. Killebrew, Frank Howard, Kirk Gibson and Jason Tompson are some that come to mind right off the top of my head.