View Full Version : Home Runs were hit out of Yankee Stadium!
ymike673
03-19-08, 10:28 AM
I took the Yankee Stadium tour last Sunday and the guide told us that he has been informed by the Yankees that Babe Ruth hit several HR's out of Yankees Stadium when he played for the team. This is very possible since the right-field triple deck stands were not built until 1938. He said there has been some research confirming this but would not go any further.
I took the Yankee Stadium tour last Sunday and the guide told us that he has been informed by the Yankees that Babe Ruth hit several HR's out of Yankees Stadium when he played for the team. This is very possible since the right-field triple deck stands were not built until 1938. He said there has been some research confirming this but would not go any further.
We are taking the tour on April 8th.
I have always heard that no HR's were ever hit out of the stadium and if as the guide told you he had been informed by the Yankees that Ruth hit several out of the park you would think the Yankees would have made a big announcement of the fact.
I am sceptical that the Guide isn't making up the story for color to his presentation. I will do some research into it.
Andy
ymike673
03-19-08, 02:21 PM
We are taking the tour on April 8th.
I have always heard that no HR's were ever hit out of the stadium and if as the guide told you he had been informed by the Yankees that Ruth hit several out of the park you would think the Yankees would have made a big announcement of the fact.
I am sceptical that the Guide isn't making up the story for color to his presentation. I will do some research into it.
Andy
The guide said he had been doing the tour for years and was really suprised when the Yankees told him to say that Ruth had hit those HRs. I would guess that back in the 1920's it would not have been a big deal if Ruth hit one out of the park so it was not reported that way. If you look at pictures of the Stadium from the 1920's you can see its very possible that a ball could leave the park in right field.
I've read on many oocasions that a fair ball has never been hit out of Yankee Stadium. I've often read that Mickey Mantle came closest when he hit a still-rising shot that just failed to clear the upper facade in, I believe, right-center field.
I also heard that a few were hit out of the park in batting practice. Bernie Williams had one. I also heard Josh Williams hit one out in a Negro League game but it has never been verified.
I looked at the official Babe Ruth web site and there is no mention of him hitting one out. I'll continue to do research
Andy
Yankees13
03-19-08, 08:01 PM
I read a book about Babe Ruth and his tape-measure HRs, and I don't remember any mention of this. The research in the book was pretty exhaustive so I doubt the author would have missed something as major as Ruth hitting HRs out of Yankee Stadium.
ymike673
03-19-08, 08:20 PM
I read a book about Babe Ruth and his tape-measure HRs, and I don't remember any mention of this. The research in the book was pretty exhaustive so I doubt the author would have missed something as major as Ruth hitting HRs out of Yankee Stadium.
The guide told me it was only about two weeks ago that the Yankees told him to change his spiel to "No player after 1934 has hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium". So there must be some new information that I guess will be made public sometime during the upcoming season.
Yankees13
03-19-08, 08:26 PM
The guide told me it was only about two weeks ago that the Yankees told him to change his spiel to "No player after 1934 has hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium". So there must be some new information that I guess will be made public sometime during the upcoming season.
You would think that if he did it, we would have known about it by now. Maybe they have something new though, who knows?
Dave Visbeck
03-19-08, 09:22 PM
Could it be possible that one left Yankee Stadium but was called foul under the old rules? Used to be, not sure if rule ended in the 1920's, that a ball would have to land on the fair side of the foul pole when extened out past the poll - for it to be called a home run. None of the wrap-around home runs back then like we have now.
Could it be that if under modern rules for calling home runs, that the ball mentioned would then be hit out of Yankee Stadium for the home run?
ymike673
03-20-08, 06:57 AM
Could it be possible that one left Yankee Stadium but was called foul under the old rules? Used to be, not sure if rule ended in the 1920's, that a ball would have to land on the fair side of the foul pole when extened out past the poll - for it to be called a home run. None of the wrap-around home runs back then like we have now.
Could it be that if under modern rules for calling home runs, that the ball mentioned would then be hit out of Yankee Stadium for the home run?
No, In that case one more home run would have had to be added to the Babe's total. There was also a rule in the 1920's that if the game was tied in the bottom of the ninth and you hit the ball out of the park with a man on base you were only credited with a triple. This actually happened to the Babe but after a small controversey back in 1969 it was decided not to give him the extra home run.
fredgmuggs
03-20-08, 07:08 AM
I also heard that a few were hit out of the park in batting practice. Bernie Williams had one. I also heard Josh Williams hit one out in a Negro League game but it has never been verified.
I looked at the official Babe Ruth web site and there is no mention of him hitting one out. I'll continue to do research
AndyI also remember Frank Howard hitting a "foul" home run out of the old stadium when I was a kid and there was some debate at the time if the ball wasn't actually fair. Even with it being foul... that was still quite a poke.
ymike673
03-20-08, 09:14 AM
I also remember Frank Howard hitting a "foul" home run out of the old stadium when I was a kid and there was some debate at the time if the ball wasn't actually fair. Even with it being foul... that was still quite a poke.
I believe I was at that game. Frank's ball hit the top of the facade just to the left of the pole. The ball was foul but it was one of the longest balls I ever saw hit at the old stadium.
Sixty one
03-20-08, 10:15 AM
To my knowledge the closest anyone ever hit a ball out of the Stadium was Mantle's shot to right field that hit near the top of the facade. I also had heard that Josh Gibson hit one out of left field but can't confirm that. I would think that there would have been a great deal of publicity if Ruth had hit one out in his day.
ymike673
03-20-08, 10:27 AM
To my knowledge the closest anyone ever hit a ball out of the Stadium was Mantle's shot to right field that hit near the top of the facade. I also had heard that Josh Gibson hit one out of left field but can't confirm that. I would think that there would have been a great deal of publicity if Ruth had hit one out in his day.
Its possible it wasen't a big deal if Ruth did it. There were no triple deck stands in right field when the Babe played. Mantle's ball that hit the facade would have left the Stadium with ease had he been around to hit it in Ruth's day.
BRNXBMRS
03-20-08, 12:43 PM
Correct me if i am wrong but I thiught it was the LF stands that were added not the rightfield. THe only 2 people to be rumored to have actually hit a HR out of the stadium was Josh Gibson & Bernie Williams (during BP)
ymike673
03-20-08, 01:09 PM
Correct me if i am wrong but I thiught it was the LF stands that were added not the rightfield. THe only 2 people to be rumored to have actually hit a HR out of the stadium was Josh Gibson & Bernie Williams (during BP)
Originally the triple deck stands ended before the foul poles. The LF stands were extended in 1927. The RF stands were extended around 1937.
Tyler Durden
03-21-08, 12:37 AM
Correct me if i am wrong but I thiught it was the LF stands that were added not the rightfield. THe only 2 people to be rumored to have actually hit a HR out of the stadium was Josh Gibson & Bernie Williams (during BP)
I heard somewhere that Gibson did it twice, but I can't confirm it anywhere.
Source is "BR Bullpen" on-line.
In 1953, Mickey hit a baseball in Washington's Griffith Stadium batting righthanded that is estimated to have been hit 565 feet. It is considered the first tape measure home run. Twice in his career Mantle came close to hitting a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium (pre-1976 reconstruction) once right-handed and once left-handed. Both times the balls hit the decorative copper facade that was on the front of the Yankee Stadium roof. Each time the balls were rising on a line drive and were estimated if not stopped to have gone at least 700 feet.
fredgmuggs
03-25-08, 05:08 PM
Correct me if i am wrong but I thiught it was the LF stands that were added not the rightfield. THe only 2 people to be rumored to have actually hit a HR out of the stadium was Josh Gibson & Bernie Williams (during BP)Bernie's batting practice home run isn't a rumor, it's a fact - I saw the video tape of it shown on YES. It was also said on YES that batting practice home runs hit out of the stadium have happened before (usually hit through the old Yankees bullpen area in the rightfield opening where the bleachers meet the grandstand.
ymike673
03-26-08, 10:31 AM
Bernie's batting practice home run isn't a rumor, it's a fact - I saw the video tape of it shown on YES. It was also said on YES that batting practice home runs hit out of the stadium have happened before (usually hit through the old Yankees bullpen area in the rightfield opening where the bleachers meet the grandstand.
And that is why its very possible that Babe Ruth did hit a few balls out of Yankee Stadium. There were only bleachers out in right field when the Babe played at the Stadium. The triple deck stands only extended past first base.
southernNYYfan
03-26-08, 02:45 PM
Here is an article about Bernie's from a couple of years ago:
NEW YORK -- It was a shot that will live in Yankees' lore for quite some time, and it came in batting practice.
The epic blast came Sunday off Bernie Williams' bat. The ball left Yankee Stadium, going through a gap near the subway tracks in right field.
"I didn't see it," Williams told The New York Post. "But I noticed that it never came back, so that should have been some indication it was out. Batting practice is a great relief and release of tension for me. I've had a lot of tension this year, so it's kind of like hitting a punching bag. I always try to hit the ball hard, but that's as hard as I've ever hit one. That's a long way."
It's a feat that no Yankee slugger had ever accomplished before -- not Babe Ruth, not Mickey Mantle, not Reggie Jackson.
According to The Post, there are disputes about Josh Gibson and Frank Howard home runs leaving the park, but neither has been confirmed.
"I know I never saw it happen," Whitey Ford said. "The best shots I ever saw were from (Mantle). He hit the one off the facade and a couple off the back of the bleachers, but no one ever hit it out, even in practice."
Yankee Stadium is configured differently now than it was during Ruth's and Mantle's days.
"It was much higher back then," Ford said. "But Bernie's must have been quite a shot. He's got great power. After they changed the stadium, though, I figured someone would eventually do it."
Bernie's batting practice home run isn't a rumor, it's a fact - I saw the video tape of it shown on YES. It was also said on YES that batting practice home runs hit out of the stadium have happened before (usually hit through the old Yankees bullpen area in the rightfield opening where the bleachers meet the grandstand.
Is there a you-tube video out there?
Gehrig39
03-28-08, 06:55 PM
In addition to the Bernie homer, does anyone have a link to a video of Bonds' upper-deck shot from 02'?
Bobsagat186
04-14-08, 08:34 AM
Source is "BR Bullpen" on-line.
In 1953, Mickey hit a baseball in Washington's Griffith Stadium batting righthanded that is estimated to have been hit 565 feet. It is considered the first tape measure home run. Twice in his career Mantle came close to hitting a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium (pre-1976 reconstruction) once right-handed and once left-handed. Both times the balls hit the decorative copper facade that was on the front of the Yankee Stadium roof. Each time the balls were rising on a line drive and were estimated if not stopped to have gone at least 700 feet.
Under normal east coast circumstances the farthest possible a human can hit a ball is estimated to be 498 feet. Add some wind, changed in pressure, and humidity changes and your nowhere close to 700.
They calculated bounce n roll in for Mantle.
ymike673
04-14-08, 01:36 PM
Only the ball Mantle hit in 1963 was still rising when it hit the facade. Since that was at least 350 feet away from home plate I would guess the ball would have traveled more than 498 feet . Maybe not 700 feet but I would guess between 500-600 feet.
Gehrig39
04-14-08, 02:29 PM
Mantle's 63' shot also left a noticable dent in the frieze. My high school biology teacher was at that game and would talk about the contact sounding like a gunshot off the bat and the ball looking like it still hadn't reached its peak.
Mantle's 63' shot also left a noticable dent in the frieze. My high school biology teacher was at that game and would talk about the contact sounding like a gunshot off the bat and the ball looking like it still hadn't reached its peak.
Hi Lou,
Is it possible to contact your biology teacher to ask him a question about
that home run?
elmer
Gehrig39
04-16-08, 09:57 AM
Hi Lou,
Is it possible to contact your biology teacher to ask him a question about
that home run?
elmer
Unfortunately he retired about four years ago and I’m not sure where he would be. The home run did leave quite an impression on him, I think he was only 10 or 12 years old but everyone in our class (except for me) would get sick and tired of him talking about the Yankees and that home run in every class. I really wish there was some footage of that home run somewhere, but the earliest regular season game on tape is a Cubs game from 1969; you would think something as amazing as that would have been saved, even a radio call.
Yankee Cowboy
02-25-09, 10:16 PM
(1) 734 feet (5/22/63, Yankee Stadium Façade* – Pitcher: Bill Fischer, Kansas City Athletics – Left-handed)
Video Clip:Click Here (http://www.themick.com/videoclips.htm#The Hardest Ball I Ever Hit) to go to a video clip of Mickey talking about this home run.
Mickey said that the "hardest ball I ever hit" came in the 11<SUP>th</SUP> inning on May 22, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Leading off in the bottom of the 11<SUP>th</SUP>, with the score tied 7-7, A's pitcher Bill Fischer tried to blow a fastball past Mickey.
Bad idea. Mickey stepped into it and, with perfect timing, met the ball with the sweet spot of his bat, walloping it with everything he had. The sound of the bat colliding with the ball was likened to a cannon shot. The players on both benches jumped to their feet. Yogi Berra shouted, "That's it!" The ball rose in a majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the farthest confines of Yankee Stadium. The question was never whether it was a home run or not. The question was whether this was going to be the first ball to be hit out of Yankee Stadium.http://www.themick.com/Hardestballhr.gif
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 was 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 point where the ball struck the façade. Then we can use calculus to calculate that the distance the ball would have traveled would have been 636 feet. However, there are a number of undetermined factors: wind velocity, spin on the ball, the speed of the pitch Mickey hit, and others. (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.)
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 ballhttp://www.themick.com/Leftyhrsm.gif would have gone? In fact, we cannot. From this point forward all numbers become guesses, estimates of how high we think the ball might have gone. A conservative estimate would be 20 feet. Those 20 feet make a major difference. They cause our calculation to go up almost 100 feet, to the 734 foot number listed above. Is 20 feet 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. It is all just a guess.
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. (Click Here (http://www.themick.com/hardestball.html#Calculation Explanation) for an explanation of how the distance of Mickey's record-setting blast was calculated.)
* 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.
Bobsagat186
03-27-09, 01:23 PM
Source is "BR Bullpen" on-line.
In 1953, Mickey hit a baseball in Washington's Griffith Stadium batting righthanded that is estimated to have been hit 565 feet. It is considered the first tape measure home run. Twice in his career Mantle came close to hitting a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium (pre-1976 reconstruction) once right-handed and once left-handed. Both times the balls hit the decorative copper facade that was on the front of the Yankee Stadium roof. Each time the balls were rising on a line drive and were estimated if not stopped to have gone at least 700 feet.
Every few years scientist's measure the farthest a human can hit a baseball and have found that on an average day on the east coast its about 496 feet to 500. Occasionally you'll get the 502-505 footer and in Colorado its a bit different.
Historians say that when baseball players in the early days had there hits measured it was wherever the ball was. So it could have rolled 200 extra feet and they counted it.
No human can hit a ball 700 feet.
Every few years scientist's measure the farthest a human can hit a baseball and have found that on an average day on the east coast its about 496 feet to 500. Occasionally you'll get the 502-505 footer and in Colorado its a bit different.
Historians say that when baseball players in the early days had there hits measured it was wherever the ball was. So it could have rolled 200 extra feet and they counted it.
No human can hit a ball 700 feet.
Scientists also say that a curve ball can't curve and there is no such thing as a riser.
Perhaps the key thing in the statement is "on an average day" What is an average day? Temps on the East Coast during the baseball season varies from about 30 to 105 degrees F; Humidity from 20-100%; winds from dead calm to 30 mph or so. Then there is the matter of the ball. I don't know what the "scientists (?)" used in their calculation but there sre variations in the ball (small during a given year and greater year to year). Then there are big differences in bats (length, weight, width, wood density); then a pitcher can throw from 70-100 mph with varying degrees of spin; finally there is the issue of bat speed. The distance a ball can be hit depends greatly on pitch speed, weight of bat, bat speed and how exactly the ball was hit on the bat's sweet spot as well as the loft given to the ball..
I don't have faith in the scientists calcs except to say that they are in the range but have not captured the max distance..
Andy
FreddieMertz
03-28-09, 06:45 AM
No scientist with any credibility has made the "curveball cant curve" claim in a very long time. It was proven many years ago.
The riser, on the other hand, is indeed physically impossible for a ball thrown off a mound, without the ball sailing well above the catcher's head.
I remember reading about Harmon Killebrew trying to hit a ball across a narrow point in the Mississippi River (maybe 600 feet or so) and failing miserably.
Bobsagat186
03-28-09, 01:48 PM
Do you trust scientists in 2009 or scientists from 50 years back?
Hitting a baseball 700 feet isn't possibe for a human.
Ram Man
03-28-09, 02:17 PM
Do you trust scientists in 2009 or scientists from 50 years back?
Depends on whether you're talking about a baseball scientist or just your run-of-the-mill general purpose scientist. ;)
Bobsagat186
03-29-09, 12:14 PM
Depends on whether you're talking about a baseball scientist or just your run-of-the-mill general purpose scientist. ;)
Gimme Dr. Scientist please.
Dave Visbeck
03-29-09, 05:25 PM
Gimme Dr. Scientist please.
What about the Myth Busters? They could build a Mickey Mantle!
Bobsagat186
03-29-09, 08:07 PM
Old timey baseball with Conan could do the strength measurements.
Gehrig39
03-29-09, 08:26 PM
These might shed some light:
http://www.hittrackeronline.com/historic.php?id=1963_3
http://www.digitalcentrality.com/Yankee_Stadium/video.html (the third video)
machphantom
03-29-09, 09:18 PM
Also, what about the pitch Hamilton drilled at Home Run Derby this year? I'm pretty sure that cleared the fence.
Gehrig39
03-30-09, 12:39 AM
Alot of people think that Hamilton's homer went out of the stadium but it actually hit off of the billboards (a VERY impressive shot either way). The longest one he hit went over half way into the upperdeck.
machphantom
03-30-09, 03:44 AM
Alot of people think that Hamilton's homer went out of the stadium but it actually hit off of the billboards (a VERY impressive shot either way). The longest one he hit went over half way into the upperdeck.
Hmm... yeah I thought my eyes might have tricked me, because on TV the ball got lost in the facade/white background. Either way that was one heck of a performance from a guy who wasn't even supposed to make the bigs after his drug problems. It was really fun watchin him this year.
mrmike98
03-30-09, 08:55 PM
These might shed some light:
http://www.hittrackeronline.com/historic.php?id=1963_3
http://www.digitalcentrality.com/Yankee_Stadium/video.html (the third video)
Many thanks.
RogerNatural
04-27-09, 09:02 PM
Frank Howard hit a fair ball over LF, but it was called foul. The left fielder watched it from along the line & directly from below, he said it was actually a fair ball. The left fielder ? none other than Mickey Mantle.
tws6254
08-05-09, 11:21 PM
I have a slightly different (kid) memory of the Frank Howard homer. We sat in the loge a few rows behind the open-air radio booth with Rizzuto, Messer, etc. There were only a few thousand people in the stadium, one of the smallest crowds I'd ever seen. Our voices carried pretty well from our vantage point and our small group (our family doctor, his son, and my brother) would loudly heckle Frank Howard with "get the load out", "lay off the fried food", etc. -- something I probably wouldn't allow my own son to do in a game today. But it seemed that Frank could hear our taunts. The producer in the radio booth asked us to keep it down because our blares were heard over the radio and it bordered on being a little inappropriate. When Frank took the big cut, the ball sailed over the roof and was immediately called foul by the umpire. I think Roy White was the left fielder. Rizzuto let out the loudest "holy cow" I'd ever heard, and he left his post to go look for the ball, maybe because he perceived the significance behind it. He returned empty-handed. I never thought much of that moment as a youngster. It was a surreal game, to be sure. Even the usually sure-handed Horace Clarke booted a routine grounder at second base that night. I don't remember the final score. I wonder if some kid outside the park found the ball without the faintest idea of where it came from or how significant or valuable his discovery was.
Do you trust scientists in 2009 or scientists from 50 years back?
Hitting a baseball 700 feet isn't possibe for a human.
Scientists (?) still debate the value of aspirin, caffine, red wine, etc. There are a lot of flawed studies that even good scientists have made. One has to only look at the science of drug testing to see varying conclusions from one test to another. There is much about science that we still do not know and it is all but impossible to make a completely definate conclusion on anything
Andy
There is much about science that we still do not know and it is all but impossible to make a completely definate conclusion on anything.Are you sure about that, Andy?
www.instantrimshot.com (http://www.instantrimshot.com)
mrmike98
08-06-09, 02:44 PM
I have a slightly different (kid) memory of the Frank Howard homer. We sat in the loge a few rows behind the open-air radio booth with Rizzuto, Messer, etc. There were only a few thousand people in the stadium, one of the smallest crowds I'd ever seen. Our voices carried pretty well from our vantage point and our small group (our family doctor, his son, and my brother) would loudly heckle Frank Howard with "get the load out", "lay off the fried food", etc. -- something I probably wouldn't allow my own son to do in a game today. But it seemed that Frank could hear our taunts. The producer in the radio booth asked us to keep it down because our blares were heard over the radio and it bordered on being a little inappropriate. When Frank took the big cut, the ball sailed over the roof and was immediately called foul by the umpire. I think Roy White was the left fielder. Rizzuto let out the loudest "holy cow" I'd ever heard, and he left his post to go look for the ball, maybe because he perceived the significance behind it. He returned empty-handed. I never thought much of that moment as a youngster. It was a surreal game, to be sure. Even the usually sure-handed Horace Clarke booted a routine grounder at second base that night. I don't remember the final score. I wonder if some kid outside the park found the ball without the faintest idea of where it came from or how significant or valuable his discovery was.
A year earlier, Mantle hit a foul homer over the right field roof against the Twins.
RogerNatural
09-12-09, 08:24 PM
I have a slightly different (kid) memory of the Frank Howard homer. We sat in the loge a few rows behind the open-air radio booth with Rizzuto, Messer, etc. There were only a few thousand people in the stadium, one of the smallest crowds I'd ever seen. Our voices carried pretty well from our vantage point and our small group (our family doctor, his son, and my brother) would loudly heckle Frank Howard with "get the load out", "lay off the fried food", etc. -- something I probably wouldn't allow my own son to do in a game today. But it seemed that Frank could hear our taunts. The producer in the radio booth asked us to keep it down because our blares were heard over the radio and it bordered on being a little inappropriate. When Frank took the big cut, the ball sailed over the roof and was immediately called foul by the umpire. I think Roy White was the left fielder. Rizzuto let out the loudest "holy cow" I'd ever heard, and he left his post to go look for the ball, maybe because he perceived the significance behind it. He returned empty-handed. I never thought much of that moment as a youngster. It was a surreal game, to be sure. Even the usually sure-handed Horace Clarke booted a routine grounder at second base that night. I don't remember the final score. I wonder if some kid outside the park found the ball without the faintest idea of where it came from or how significant or valuable his discovery was. You may very well be correct. The only reason I recall it, was listening to Mickey talk about it years ago. When questioned about a fair ball exiting YS, he mentioned this, and I thought it was ironic he said it was a HR. Since he played LF at the time.
MooseDaGun
10-01-09, 12:13 PM
(1) 734 feet (5/22/63, Yankee Stadium Façade* – Pitcher: Bill Fischer, Kansas City Athletics – Left-handed)
The pythagorean theory doesn't work because by observing a baseball in flight, it doesn't follow a perfect arc. Usually it encounters wind resistance, slows down, and follows a more vertical trajectory than when the ball was rising. The exceptions are when there is a strong tailwind helping the ball along, but in the vast majority of the cases it is not the case, so it's very hard to believe Mantle's ball would have gone 734 feet. It probably wouldn't even have traveled 600 feet.
MooseDaGun
10-01-09, 12:16 PM
Every few years scientist's measure the farthest a human can hit a baseball and have found that on an average day on the east coast its about 496 feet to 500. Occasionally you'll get the 502-505 footer and in Colorado its a bit different.
Historians say that when baseball players in the early days had there hits measured it was wherever the ball was. So it could have rolled 200 extra feet and they counted it.
No human can hit a ball 700 feet.
I don't recall the winds that day but during the '08 HR Derby Josh Hamilton was hitting 500 footers with regularity, with his longest being 518 ft. I doubt 500 feet is the limit, especially if a guy can take the swing that Hamilton was taking while facing a 95 mph fastball rather than a 70 mph BP pitch.
Dave Visbeck
10-01-09, 09:14 PM
Didn't Josh Gibson hit one out?
Or was it nearly out?
ymike673
10-02-09, 01:04 PM
Didn't Josh Gibson hit one out?
Or was it nearly out?
No one really knows. But wasen't Josh a RH hitter. The triple deck stands in leftfield would have been there when he played. Really do not think he could have did it.
Yankee Cowboy
10-03-09, 01:25 PM
Originally Posted by Yankee Cowboy
(1) 734 feet (5/22/63, Yankee Stadium Façade* – Pitcher: Bill Fischer, Kansas City Athletics – Left-handed)
The pythagorean theory doesn't work because by observing a baseball in flight, it doesn't follow a perfect arc. Usually it encounters wind resistance, slows down, and follows a more vertical trajectory than when the ball was rising. The exceptions are when there is a strong tailwind helping the ball along, but in the vast majority of the cases it is not the case, so it's very hard to believe Mantle's ball would have gone 734 feet. It probably wouldn't even have traveled 600 feet.
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That is my story and I am sticking to it.....
And that is why its very possible that Babe Ruth did hit a few balls out of Yankee Stadium. There were only bleachers out in right field when the Babe played at the Stadium. The triple deck stands only extended past first base.
I have watched the Yankee Stadium : Baseball's Cathedral DVD and they specifically said that no one has hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium although Mickey Mantle came close once.
ymike673
10-29-09, 10:26 AM
I have watched the Yankee Stadium : Baseball's Cathedral DVD and they specifically said that no one has hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium although Mickey Mantle came close once.
When I took the Stadium tour in March of 2008 the guide said that the Babe might have hit a few balls out of the Stadium since the tripe deck stands in RF had not been built when he played. He had been instructed to say that no one since 1934 had hit a ball out of the park.
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