Hagerty: Where was Babe Ruth’s longest home run? A six-city mystery
From SABR member Tim Hagerty at The Sporting News on October 31, 2016, with mention of SABR member Bill Jenkinson:
This year’s World Series games at Wrigley Field remind us of Babe Ruth’s legendary home run there, when he allegedly called his shot in Game 3 of the 1932 Fall Classic in Chicago.
But where was Ruth’s longest homer? At least six cities claim the Bambino’s biggest blast.
Detroit – Ruth crushed a pitch out of Navin Field versus Ty Cobb’s Tigers on July 18, 1921.
“Hall of Fame historian Bill Jenkinson once estimated it as the longest home run ever hit. Ruth hit the ball clear out of Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) to center field, a shot Jenkinson estimates would have traveled 575 feet unencumbered,” Sports Illustrated recapped.
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/babe-ruth-longest-home-run-new-york-yankees-sing-sing-tampa-wilkes-barre-fort-wayne-st-petersburg-detroit/1ch5kzxj84m791eu5r7kvkypip
Originally published: October 31, 2016. Last Updated: October 31, 2016.