Longest Home Runs 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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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

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

[Xsvfan]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

>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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

Unfortunately, none of these can be officially verified.

[bly11]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

[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.

[Rube]

RE: To my knowledge

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]

RE: To my knowledge

[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]

RE: To my knowledge

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]

RE: Longest Ever by Ballpark

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

[researcher]

RE: To my knowledge

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.