Longest home runs in MLB history: Most incredible moonshots ever recorded

There is nothing like hitting a home run in baseball, and some of them pull as far as the field, defying the law of gravity. It was impractical over long distances, filled viewers with wonder, and became lore in the history of Major League Baseball. There are those recorded on tape and eyewitness accounts, and some on modern Statcast, but they are all manifestations of pure brute force.

Awkward history of the biggest moonshots

Babe Ruth is reported to have hit the longest in the history of the MLB with a 575 foot that he hit on July 18, 1921. It is invested in its legendhood by the word of eyewitnesses and by its report at the time.


The famous home run that was hit by Micky Mantle was on April 17, 1953, at Griffith Stadium, in the bleachers of left field, and it landed in the backyard of a cross street. It is remembered as being the tape-recorded all-time home run, and second to the well-known swing by Ruth.

During the 1971 All-Star game in Tiger Stadium, Reggie Jackson hit a light tower on the roof of the stadium, striking off Dock Ellis. The explosion reached a total of 539 feet, and it remains one of the most historic events in All-Star history.

On May 20, 1978, at Montreal Olympic Stadium, Willie Stargell gave a 535-foot home run into the upper decks. To such an extent that the Pirates now had a plaque to remind them of that greatness.

The biggest ever known blowout of Mark McGwire came the following day as he was playing in the Kingdome on June 24, 1997, with the Oakland Athletics. It was usually recorded as 538 feet, but in modern times it is believed to have been only 474 feet.

On August 6, 2016, at Coors Field, Giancarlo Stanton became the longest recorded homer of the modern era in Statcast tracking of a 504-foot home run and shared the record with C.J. Cron.

The topicality of these moonshots

It is in these historic home runs that time, power, and precision came into play just as they should have. These moonshots are the extremes of what is possible in the world of baseball, whether they are calculated by Statcast or using a tape measure.

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