Who hit the longest MLB home run ever and how long was it?
Not surprisingly, Mickey Mantle holds the record for longest ball ever hit. The Mick was widely renowned for his tape-measure blasts, but this one took the cake. The date was September 10, 1960, and the powerhouse Yankees were at Briggs Stadium in Detroit to play the Tigers. Righthander Paul Foytack was pitching to Mantle in the seventh inning. He fell behind 2-0, never a good idea against the best switch-hitter in history. Sure enough, Foytack’s next pitch turned around in a hurry. The ball sailed high into the air, and just kept going. It rocketed high over the right field fence, passed untouched through a network of light fixtures, and flew out of the park at a height of at least 440 feet. The moonshot eventually landed in a lumberyard across adjacent Trumbull Avenue. Incredulous observers estimated it at 634 feet, the longest blast ever recorded. Even with the andro-enhanced bombs being hit today, no one has duplicated the Mick’s incredible feat. Of course, home run distances are n
One of the most common question asked here at Baseball Almanac is who hit the longest home run ever. Where was it hit? And, how far did it go? Few people like the response given because, unlike other baseball stats, it is the farthest thing from perfect as illustrated by this superb article called Long Distance Home Runs written by William J. Jenkinson. — As long as baseball has been played, observers and participants alike have been fascinated with those rare individuals who have been capable of batting balls farther than others of their time. As long ago as opening day 1883, there is information describing the excitement generated by Hall of Famer Roger Connor, who struck an unusually long home run at the original Polo Grounds in New York. This feat was accomplished at a time before home runs were hit with enough frequency to be considered a regular part of the game. This is dramatized by the fact that Connor’s blow was the only home run he would hit that season. And yet, everyone
