Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault authors one of the week’s longest bombs
Last week Kansas City’s Alex Gordon became the first position player this season to make the list of 25 longest home runs as a pitcher.
This week Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault flipped that script.
Brault, a part-time Pittsburgh Pirates starter, took the mound Sept. 1 in what would become a 6-2 Pirate victory. In addition to working 6.1 innings in which he held Colorado to one earned run while striking out five, Brault led off the seventh inning with a 441-foot home run off his mound opponent, Jesus Tinoco. The blast, which gave Brault a 3-1 lead, turned out to be the week’s 16th longest.
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Only one player was responsible for two of the week’s longest, and that player was the game’s premier one. On Tuesday, Mike Trout drilled a 437 footer off Oakland’s Mike Fiers. Two nights later. Trout took advantage of the Athletics’ Brett Anderson to the tune of a 455-footer.
That Thursday home run matched the week’s longest in terms of raw distance. Because Toronto’s Rowdy Tellez also hit a 455-footer – and because Tellez’s left the park at a greater exit velocity – under tie-breaking rules it is listed as the week’s longest, and Trout’s is relegated to second place.
Tellez’s homer measured 112.9 mph off the bat. Trout’s left at 111.1 mph.
From the standpoint of pure exit velocity, Kansas City’s Jorge Soler delivered the week’s hardest-hit home run. Soler smoked a 450-footer Wednesday against Detroit’s Edwin Jackson that flew away at 115.7 mph.
The average distance of the week’s 215 longest was 443.2 feet.
Here’s the full list of the week’s 25 longest home runs. The standard of measurement is distance as reported by Statcast. Where there are ties, they are broken by exit velocity.
        Batter, team          Pitcher, team          Distance
1             Rowdy Tellez, Tor           Mike Soroka, Atl              455
2             Mike Trout, LAA        Brett Anderson, Oak    455
3             Joc Pederson, LA       Taylor Clarke, Ari             454
4             Miguel Sano, Min      Rick Porcello, Bos      452
5             Jorge Soler, KC                 Edwin Jackson, Det        450
6             Willson Contreras, Chc  Felix Hernandez, Sea     450
7             Christian Walker, Ari      Javy Guerra, SD        445
8             Garrett Cooper, Mia    Parker Markel, Pit      444
9             Josh Donaldson, Atl       Austin Voth, Was            443
10          Christian Yelich, Mil        Craig Kimbrel, Chc      443
11          Juan Soto, Was                Jacob deGrom, NYM     443
12          Dawel Lugo, Det       Glenn Sparkman, KC      442
13          Kyle Schwarber, Chc      Drew Pomeranz, Mil      442
14          Yasmani Grandal, Mil     Cole Hamels, Chc      442
15          Nate Lowe, TB         Adam Plutko, Cle      442
16          Eloy Jimenez, CWS         Mike Clevinger, Cle        442
17          Steven Brault, Pit      Jesus Tinoco, Col       441
18          Kevin Pillar, SF         Giovanny Gallegos, Stl  440
19          Mookie Betts, Bos          Jose Berrios, Min      438
20          Paul DeJong, Stl        Logan Webb, SF      438
21          Ryan Zimmerman, Was Caleb Smith, Mia      437
22          Mike Trout, LAA        Mike Fiers, Oak       437
23          Josh Reddick, Hou          Tommy Milone, Sea   436
24          Roberto Perez, Cle         Evan Marshall, CWS   435
25          Anthony Santander, Bal Brock Burke, Tex     435