The Bomb Squad: The Longest Home Runs in MLB During Week-12

A review of the longest home runs hit in MLB this week, topped by Nomar Mazara’s 505-footer in Texas. It equaled the longest home run of the Statcast era.

Nomar Mazara topped all of MLB on Friday night.

Mazara’s 505-foot home run well up into the upper deck seats at Globe Life Park was measured at 505 feet. That matches the longest home run hit since Statcast began measuring all of them five seasons ago.

It also culminated an evening of pure power such as is rarely seen even in the big leagues. Seven players Friday authored bombs that carried in excess of 440 feet, Mazara and Yankee Gary Sanchez both driving balls more than 480 feet.

Mazara’s, however, assumes a position as the year’s rightful champion. It equals the longest on Statcast record, struck by Colorado’s Trevor Story last September.

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There have almost certainly been longer home runs in the pre-Statcast days. In 1953, Mickey Mantle famously drove a pitch over the center field wall at Griffith Stadium in Washington. A Yankee PR agent got out a tape measure after the game and determined the ball had traveled 565 feet, in the process giving rise to the term, “tape measure shot.”

In 1979, Dave Kingman hit a ball that landed two houses down on Kenmore Street outside Wrigley Field. It has retroactively been estimated at 540 feet. A 1959 Roberto Clemente home run beyond the Wrigley Field scoreboard in dead center has since been estimated as having traveled 510 feet.
During the 1971 All-Star Game at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium, Reggie Jackson homered off the light tower on the right field roof. Sources have since pegged that memorable shot at 539 feet.

A 2017 article in Bleacher Report suggests the longest ever hit may have been by Babe Ruth back in 1921. The article, and others on the same subject credits Ruth with a 575 foot home run out of Detroit’s Navin Field that summer.

The way bombs were departing major league parks this past week, however, those standards may soon become the norm. The average carry of the week’s 25 longest blasts was an inspirational 450.8 feet. Several players hit home runs in excess of 430 feet yet failed to even make the list.
Christian Yelich had two entries this week. Yelich hit a 447 footer Wednesday off Matt Strahm, then followed the next night with a 462 footer off Tanner Roark.

On the other side of the question, Kansas City’s Danny Duffy surrendered two bombs … in the same game. On Saturday, Miguel Sano and C.J. Cron both took Duffy pitches for rides exceeding 435 feet.

Here’s the week’s full list of longest bombs in MLB from 1 to 25. Where ties exist, they are broken by exit velocity.

Rank  Date  MLB Player, team                  Pitcher, team                   Vel.     Distance
1         6-21  Nomar Mazara, Tex      Reynaldo Lopez, CWS   109.7   505
2         6-21 Gary Sanchez, NYY        Brad Peacock, Hou        113.3   481
3        6-20  Christian Yelich, Mil       Tanner Roark, Cin           114.2   462
4        6-16  Rafael Devers, Bos        Mychal Givens, Bal        111.1   458
5        6-21  Alex Dickerson, SF         Taylor Clarke, Ari            110.9   458
6        6-17  Mike Trout, LAA              Nick Kingham, Tor          110.6   456
7        6-16  Hunter Renfroe, SD       Bryan Shaw, Col             105.1   456
8        6-19  Paul Goldschmidt, Stl   Adam Conley, Mia          110.2   454
9        6-22  Miguel Sano, Min           Danny Duffy, KC             108.9   454

10     6-19  Brandon Dixon, Det      Trevor Williams, Pit        106.5   454
11     6-21  Yasiel Puig, Cin                Corbin Burnes, Mil         108.3   453
12     6-16  Lourdes Gurriel, Tor       Brad Peacock, Hou        109.6   452
13     6-19  Jason Kipnis, Cle              Joe Palumbo, Tex          103.3   449
14     6-19  Christian Yelich, Mil        Matt Strahm, SD           112.6   447
15     6-21  Yan Gomes, Was             Dallas Keuchel, Atl        107.6   447
16     6-21  Zack Collins, CWS            Ariel Jurado, Tex            102.9   447
17     6-21  Mac Williamson, Sea      Branden Kline, Bal        107.1   444
18     6-16  Tyler Flowers, Atl             Jerad Eickhoff, Phi        105.2   441
19     6-22  Tim Anderson, CWS        Lance Lynn, Tex              107.3  440

20     6-19  Josh Donaldson, Atl        Steven Matz, NYM        105.6   439
21     6-22  C.J. Cron, Min                    Danny Duffy, KC             112.1   438

22    6-16  Matt Adams, Was           Stefan Crichton, Ari       111.7   438
23     6-19  Michael Brantley, Hou   Tyler Mahle, Cin              101.9   438
24     6-21  Michael Conforto, NYM Yu Darvish, Chc               111.5   436
25     6-18  Rougned Odor, Tex          Zach Plesac, Cle             110.2   436