Harry Heilmann

[tycobb420]

http://www.examiner.com/baseball-history-in-detroit/harry-heilmann-the-odd-year-batting-champ

 

[kingofdetroit57]

I always question statements like these... "Heilmann drove in 139 runs and hit a 610 foot home run in New York."

610ft? In all my years watching baseball, I've never seen anybody even close to 600ft. I've only seen a handful of them over 500ft and most of those were done by juicers in the homerun derby. I'm sorry, but I fail to believe these stories of out of shape, averaged sized guys hitting balls 600ft+.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

For perspective, the Heilmann homerun reported would have been 108ft longer than the one Cecil Fielder hit OUT of County Stadium. That's probably the longest homerun I've ever seen in baseball, although a few were claimed to be a little longer. I saw the one he hit on the left field of Tiger Stadium in person and while that was a bomb, I think the one at County Stadium was still longer.

 

[tycobb420]

I think I read about that HR in the Tiger Encyclo. I have no idea how they measured that! Maybe it rolled down a hill?

 

[cmlfactor]

I think we forget sometimes that they used heavier bats back then. If a pitcher throws a 95mph fastball and a guy connects with it just right why couldn't it go 610 ft? It's all physics..and hell for all we know the bat was corked...we can't exactly go back in time and saw his bat in half. But to say it was impossible for a ball to be hit 610 feet, well we can't.

 

[tomdalton22]

I think we forget sometimes that they used heavier bats back then. If a pitcher throws a 95mph fastball and a guy connects with it just right why couldn't it go 610 ft? It's all physics..and hell for all we know the bat was corked...we can't exactly go back in time and saw his bat in half. But to say it was impossible for a ball to be hit 610 feet, well we can't.

If a roided up player in the 1990's couldn't hit one 500' I doubt a 195 lb player from 1915 could hit one over 600'. Plus, pitchers weren't providing that kind of power back then. I doubt they were throwing 95...probably less than 90

 

[tycobb420]

I think we forget sometimes that they used heavier bats back then. If a pitcher throws a 95mph fastball and a guy connects with it just right why couldn't it go 610 ft? It's all physics..and hell for all we know the bat was corked...we can't exactly go back in time and saw his bat in half. But to say it was impossible for a ball to be hit 610 feet, well we can't.

If a roided up player in the 1990's couldn't hit one 500' I doubt a 195 lb player from 1915 could hit one over 600'. Plus, pitchers weren't providing that kind of power back then. I doubt they were throwing 95...probably less than 90

Sometimes when calculating homeruns, they don't count where it lands, but where it stops. Steve Balboni once hit a ball several miles...how? It landed in the back of a train.

 

[tomdalton22]

If a roided up player in the 1990's couldn't hit one 500' I doubt a 195 lb player from 1915 could hit one over 600'. Plus, pitchers weren't providing that kind of power back then. I doubt they were throwing 95...probably less than 90

Sometimes when calculating homeruns, they don't count where it lands, but where it stops. Steve Balboni once hit a ball several miles...how? It landed in the back of a train.

I hit a 460 yard drive on a 400 yard hole. Hit it OB down a 2 lane highway and it came back in bounds about 60 yards past the green.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Home runs, even the ones measured now-a-days at 400+, only go as far because the batted ball gets stopped. By the seats, signs etc. I've seen some that get measured at 440 but if the back of the stadium wasn't there, would have kept going over 500.

Maybe Heilmann just got a hold of one

Also if I remember correctly home runs, I forget which era, were measured on how far it would have went if it wasn't stopped by part of the stadium. They don't do that anymore.

 

[tomdalton22]

Mitch[/color]]Home runs, even the ones measured now-a-days at 400+, only go as far because the batted ball gets stopped. By the seats, signs etc. I've seen some that get measured at 440 but if the back of the stadium wasn't there, would have kept going over 500.

Maybe Heilmann just got a hold of one

Also if I remember correctly home runs, I forget which era, were measured on how far it would have went if it wasn't stopped by part of the stadium. They don't do that anymore.

Actually, they do estimate how far it would have gone based on trajectory and where it lands in the stands.

 

[Mitchrapp]

I don't seem to see that anymore. Maybe behind the scene and Rod and Mario just don't tell us.

 

[tycobb420]

I went on a webhunt...per Wikipedia, so take it for what it's worth...the 610 distance came from a New York newspaper report. I know the Det News reported Babe ruth hit one 625 feet in Detroit.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Maybe they're talking in Metrics.

 

[jimrice]

There's nothing wrong with a tall tail once in a while. Imagine a long home run to left in Comerica that clears the bull pens and lands in the left field seats. That's around a 400 footer, and still only 2/3 as far as HH's reported homer. I think the calculations were a bit far fetched on that one.

 

[Thumb]

I thought I remembered McGwire hitting a couple estimated at 600+ ft. while he was in Oakland.

Was in an SI article about Cecil Fielder, and for comparisons they were saying as long as Cecil's bombs were McGwire still out-distanced him.

But honestly, it still only counts as 1 no matter how far it goes.

 

[tycobb420]

I thought I remembered McGwire hitting a couple estimated at 600+ ft. while he was in Oakland.

Was in an SI article about Cecil Fielder, and for comparisons they were saying as long as Cecil's bombs were McGwire still out-distanced him.

But honestly, it still only counts as 1 no matter how far it goes.

That sounds vaguely familiar.

Here, this is about Mickey Mantle's 734 foot home run and how the distance was calculated.

http://www.grandlakevisitor.com/mmtenlongest

 

[kalinecountry]

I thought I remembered McGwire hitting a couple estimated at 600+ ft. while he was in Oakland.

Was in an SI article about Cecil Fielder, and for comparisons they were saying as long as Cecil's bombs were McGwire still out-distanced him.

But honestly, it still only counts as 1 no matter how far it goes.

That sounds vaguely familiar.

I knew the Mick hit one further than the 565 foot blast.
and Kaline hit a 500 foot plus while at Southern High in Baltimore, there is a marker for it.

Here, this is about Mickey Mantle's 734 foot home run and how the distance was calculated.

http://www.grandlakevisitor.com/mmtenlongest

 

[tycobb420]

KalineCountry[/color]]

That sounds vaguely familiar.

I knew the Mick hit one further than the 565 foot blast.
and Kaline hit a 500 foot plus while at Southern High in Baltimore, there is a marker for it.

Here, this is about Mickey Mantle's 734 foot home run and how the distance was calculated.

http://www.grandlakevisitor.com/mmtenlongest

734 is just ridiculous!

 

[kalinecountry]

KalineCountry[/color]]

734 is just ridiculous!

That site is dedicated to the Mick. It is great.

Also today Sept. 10
1960 - In Detroit, Mickey Mantle unloads a cannon shot for three runs in the 6th inning, the ball clearing the RF roof and landing in the Brooks Lumber Yard across Trumbull Avenue. New York pins a 5 - 1 loss on Paul Foytack that moves them a half game in first place ahead of Baltimore, losers today. In June, 1985, Mantle's blow was retroactively measured at 643 feet, and will be listed in The Guinness Book of World Records at that distance.

Didn't mean to hijack this thread about Mantle with it about Tigers' Great Harry Heilmann. Both dad and Uncle Jumbo were after Heilmann's career, but both said the old timers from when they were kids said he was a masher with the bat, not like Foxx with the homerun power, but higher average and more doubles, more of a line drive hitter with less frequent homerun power. To bat .342 for a career and be one of about 12 or 13 with a career line over .333/.400/.500 is remarkable.

 

[Mitchrapp]

What were the balls like then.