Statcast measures Nelson Cruz home run at 483 feet
It was a nice little run for Alex Rodriguez, but his time atop the list of longest home runs in MLB this season is over after 12 days.
On Wednesday, Seattle Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz returned to Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas and absolutely unloaded on a Wandy Rodriguez delivery, sending it soaring to the club level seats in left field, an estimated 483 feet from home plate according to MLB’s new Statcast technology.
Initial estimates had Cruz’s home run traveling 424 feet of true distance. However, Statcast quicky upped that to 483 feet, making it the longest home run measured by the new system this season. It tops A-Rod’s 477-foot blast back on April 17 at Tropicana Field, which was estimated by ESPN’s Hit Tracker.
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Here’s the official data.
It’s a believable distance given where the ball landed. According to the Rangers, it’s only the 19th baseball to reach the club level at Globe Life Park since it opened in 1994. Cruz — who played for the Rangers from 2005-2013 — now owns three of those home runs.
Obviously, it’s a ballpark Cruz has always enjoyed hitting in. He hit a total of 93 homers there over the first nine seasons of his career, which covered 405 games. But he’s also proven to be an effective power hitter elsewhere, hitting a league-leading 40 for the Baltimore Orioles last season. His home run on Wednesday tied him with Hanley Ramirez for the leage lead this season. They both have 10.
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Taking another look at the data though, it’s worth pointing out the velocity off the bat. At 116 mph, that’s absolutely among the hardest hit baseballs we’ve seen this season. In fact, as Yahoo’s Jeff Passan pointed out on Tuesday, only 12 balls at that point had been clocked at 115 mph or faster off the bat in April.
The 12th of those actually struck Archie Bradley in the face during Tuesday’s game. When you consider the force behind that shot and the sheer force behind Cruz’s homer on Wednesday, it’s even more remarkable to think that Bradley walked away under his own power.
As for Wednesday’s result, the Mariners went on to win 5-2 behind Cruz’s roundtripper and 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball from Felix Hernandez. In the victory, Hernandez passed Jamie Moyer for the Mariners all-time innings pitched mark with 2,093 1/3.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
