Topline
The Colorado Rockies’ C.J. Cron’s towering 504-foot home run at Coors Field in Denver on Friday night was the second-longest since Statcast started measuring distance in 2015, and could have been the second-longest in MLB history, although the longest home run ever hit has been a murky subject.
C.J. Cron hit the longest home run of the 2022 season Friday night, impressing announcers with a … [+]
Key Facts
Cron’s moonshot fell one foot short of Nomar Mazara’s 505-foot bomb against the Chicago White Sox in June, 2019, and ties the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton’s 504-foot home run—which he also hit at Coors Field—for second place, according to data from the MLB.
The blast to left field as part of the Rockies 13-10 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks came at a notoriously hitter’s friendly ballpark, where researchers at the University of Colorado have found the altitude and low-air density in Denver helps baseballs travel with less resistance.
Major League Baseball compensates for the air conditions by storing baseballs in so-called “humidors” to lessen the advantage to power hitters.
So far this season, Cron is batting .266 with 27 home runs this season, according to Baseball Reference, and has 173 career home runs.
Key Background
The longest home run ever hit is a murky subject for baseball analysts, who have relied on a variety of metrics before Statcast started tracking home run distance in 2015. Mickey Mantle is believed to have hit a home run 565 feet in 1953, with original estimates putting it at an astounding 734 feet—although that distance has been widely questioned. Babe Ruth is said to have blasted a 587-foot home run in 1919—the New York Times later estimated it to have traveled 552 feet. The longest, however, could have been in the minor leagues, when Joey Meyer hit a 582-foot shot in 1987 playing for the minor league Denver Zephyrs.
Further Reading
Colorado’s C.J Cron crushes 504-foot home run vs. Diamondbacks, 2nd-longest in Statcast era (ESPN)
Rockies’ C.J. Cron records MLB’s longest HR of 2022 with 504-foot blast (The Athletic)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/09/10/rockies-cj-cron-blasts-possibly-second-longest-home-run-in-baseball-history/