or do you know where and who hit the longest home run in recorded history? Was it Jose Canseco’s towering blast to the upper deck in Toronto? Nope. How about Mickey Mantle’s 634′ shot at Briggs Stadium in Detroit? Well, yes according to MLB writers, but the longest homerun ever struck was hit August 11th, 1959, in Carlsbad, New Mexico by Gil Carter of the Carlsbad Potashers (a minor league team).
“The sports editor of the Carlsbad Current-Argus, who was the official scorer that night, was also a service-trained aerial photographer. He was flown over the field the next day and photographed the scene. Prints were laid out on Montgomery’s desk. The monstrous stroke was measured and triangulated. Give-or-take a couple of inches, the ball was found seven hundred thirty feet from the vertex of home plate.”
If you would’ve told me that it was hit in Carlsbad I would’ve guessed Shane Andrews did it. If I recall, in high school he hit one of the rockets near the bingo parlor off of 8th Street. Someone will have to confirm that though. Nonetheless, read about the home run that was hit by Gil Carter. It has the aerial photo as well.
