Miami Marlins first baseman Logan Morrison made sure that the Marlins got some love in an otherwise forgettable season with a majestic two-run blast to right-center field on Friday night.
The initial estimate of 484 feet would make it the longest home run hit by an MLB player in 2013:
With rookie ace Jose Fernandez carving up the Washington Nationals‘ lineup, the Fish jumped ahead 3-0. Morrison’s second plate appearance of the night came against Dan Haren in the bottom of the third inning following a Giancarlo Stanton walk.
The 26-year-old must have channeled all his emotions from what has to be a frustrating season into that left-handed swing. Or maybe he simply took advantage of a belt-high, 88 mile-per-hour fastball.
Whatever the case, it landed five rows deep in the second deck at Marlins Park, safely out of reach of the few fans who bothered attending.
Although Morrison began the evening with only five home runs in 64 games played this season, it’s not all that surprising to see him obliterate a baseball like this. In Bleacher Report’s new B/R MLB 500 series, Zachary Rymer noted that the vast dimensions of Miami’s home stadium naturally suppress offensive production. “Realistically, LoMo’s power is above average,” he writes.
Moreover, Haren is the perfect candidate to serve up such an epic no-doubter. Despite a midseason stint on the disabled list, he entered the start with an NL-worst 25 home runs allowed in only 26 appearances.
However, we’re certainly not done with this story. It’s still unclear how far Morrison’s round-tripper actually traveled.
As mentioned earlier, the Marlins made a generous calculation:
Logan Morrison’s 484 foot home run in the bottom of the 3rd is the longest in @MarlinsPark history. Your move, @Giancarlo818
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 7, 2013
The league evidently trusts Miami’s mathematicians:
.@LoMoMarlins did a number on this baseball. That number is 484. Feet: http://t.co/CDpBYQo6s5
— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2013
Meanwhile, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald points out the discrepancy between that and ESPN’s approximation:
#Marlins calculate distance of LoMo homer at 484 ft, longest ever at #Marlins Park. ESPN Stats and Info: 467 (tied for 8th longest in MLB)
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 7, 2013
Ultimately, the World Wide Leader is probably going to win this dispute. They collaborated with Greg Rybarczyk and his ball-tracking technology several years ago, a partnership which has since hatched the ESPN Home Run Tracker. Bleacher Report has spent all season recognizing those stats as official, and will continue doing so.
In terms of “True Distance,” here’s the list of this year’s most prolific launches:
Hitter | Date | HR Distance (Feet) |
Hunter Pence | 8/27/13 | 476 |
Mark Trumbo | 4/29/13 | 475 |
Anthony Rizzo | 4/18/13 | 475 |
Jay Bruce | 6/22/13 | 472 |
Mike Napoli | 5/1/13 | 472 |
Todd Frazier | 4/24/13 | 470 |
Colby Rasmus | 4/6/13 | 468 |
That means the 17 feet in question would be the difference between first and eighth place. Following the game, expect Morrison himself to tweet on the subject from his popular personal account.
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