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May 22, 1963 @ Yankee Stadium www.mickey.mantle.com |
| Mickey batting left handed, unloads on a high
fastball. The ball climbs quickly to a point about 35' over
the infield between the first and second basemen, and still
ascending, strikes the roof facade 108' above the playing field.
The distance from home plate was measured afterward and found to be
374'. According to all witnesses interviewed, the ball was
still rising as it struck the facade. Reports state generally
that the ball bounded all the way back to the infield. Ed
Charles, A's 3rd baseman, states that the ball landed just inside
the outfield grass on the dirt not far from second base. The
distance from this landing spot back to the point of impact on the
facade has been found to be approximately 212'. Yankees shortstop, Tony Kubek recalls, "I do remember a few things about the '63 HR by Mickey. When a HR is hit, especially because of the sound they made off Mickey's bat, one popped pretty quickly off their seat in the dugout. Many of his HRs had an unusually loud crack. I guess that goes along with the distance he hit them. In my minds eye view, I do not recollect it bouncing all the way back to 2B. I can picture it landing on the outfield grass in right field about half way from the low outfield fence and the dirt portion of the infield. It rolled, by my estimate, another 15 yards and stopped before it reached the outer edge of the infield. The thing I recall most was that the ball appeared to be still rising on impact. Now, and memories play tricks, but I do know this, the ball was NOT coming down when it hit the facade. This was NOT a fly ball! This was a high line drive like no one else could hit 'em." "I hit the facade twice, the first off Pedro Ramos. I hit the second off Bill Fischer, and hit it so hard it bounced back to second base. If it had gone another foot, it would have gone over." Mickey Mantle |