Last week Steven Brault made the list as a hitter. This week he threw two of the 25 longest homers in MLB, both to Chicago’s Willson Contreras.
Last week Pittsburgh pitcher Steven Brault made the list of 25 longest dingers in MLB as a hitter. This week Brault was back on his accustomed side of the ledger…twice.
He could thank Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras for the distinction.
Friday afternoon, during Chicago’s 17-8 pounding of Brault’s Pirates, Contreras twice took the Pittsburgh starter very deep. The first shot, in the first inning, landed three-quarters of the way up the bleachers in deep left-center. It was measured at 460 feet.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Two innings later, Contreras introduced Brault to the shrubbery above deep center field, this one traveling 455 feet.
Both blasts qualified among the week’s 10 longest, although neither led the list. That distinction fell to St. Louis Cardinal rookie Rangel Ravelo, who blasted a Tim Melville hanging slider through Coors Field’s thin air to the walkway beyond the center field bleachers. It was measured at 487 feet.
Ravelo’s homer returned a favor authored by Colorado star Nolan Arenado against Cardinal pitcher Michael Wacha just two days earlier. Arenado’s shot, the week’s second-longest, carried 482 feet.
In the category of longest home run not struck in Denver, the award goes to… Miami’s Jorge Alfaro. On Saturday night in San Francisco, he touched Madison Bumgarner for a 473-footer. The ball traveled about 15 rows up in the bleachers in deep left-center field.
Contreras was one of four players to make the weekly list twice. The Chicago White Sox first baseman delivered a 462 footer off Angels pitcher Jaime Barria Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. On Friday, Abreu hammered Seattle’s Yusei Kikuchi for a 447-footer.
Kansas City’s Jorge Soler hit a 439-foot blast off Chicago’s Carson Fulmer on Wednesday, then on Thursday hit a 446-footer off Lucas Giolito.
Yankee Luke Voit’s two came Thursday, a 449-footer off Detroit’s Matthew Boyd, and Saturday, a 439-footer off Toronto’s Brock Stewart.
The average carry of the week’s 25 longest home runs in MLB was an inspiring 453.1 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 Rangel Ravelo, Stl Tim Melville, Col 487
2 Nolan Arenado, Col Michael Wacha, Stl 482
3 Jorge Alfaro, Mia Madison Bumgarner, SF473
4 Jose Abreu, CWS Jaime Barria, LAA 462
5 Nelson Cruz, Min Patrick Corbin, Was 460
6 Willson Contreras, Chc Steven Brault, Pit 460
7 Kyle Lewis, Sea Lucas Sims, Cin 457
8 Avisail Garcia, TB Sam Gaviglio, Tor 456
9 Willson Contreras, Chc Steven Brault, Pit 455
10 Yoan Moncada. CWS Kevin McCarthy, KC 452
11 Randal Grichuk, Tor Tyler Glasnow, TB 451
12 Willy Adames, TB Andrew Heaney, Pit 450
13 Harrison Baber, Stl Jesus Tinoco, Col 450
14 Luke Voit, NYY Matthew Boyd, Det 449
15 Sean Murphy, Oak Joe Biagini, Hou 448
16 Ian Desmond, Col Dakota Hudson, Stl 448
17 Jose Abreu, CWS Yusei Kikuchi, Sea 447
18 Jorge Soler, KC Lucas Giolito, CWS 446
19 George Springer, Hou Tanner Roark, Oak 446
20 Jeff McNeil, NYM Taylor Clarke, Ari 444
21 Jonathan Villar, Bal Caleb Ferguson, LAA 443
22 Bryce Harper, Phi Max Fried, Atl 443
23 Ryan O’Hearn, KC Ivan Nova, CWS 440
24 Jorge Soler, KC Carson Fulmer, CWS 439
25 Luke Voit, NYY Brock Stewart, Tor 439