Giancarlo Stanton launches 484-foot homer, longest in MLB this season
Let us preface this by saying everybody loves hitting at Coors Field in Denver. Humidor or not, it always has been and always will be a hitter’s haven because of the thin air and its spacious dimensions.
With that in mind, no player in MLB seems to enjoy Coors Field more than Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. And, quite frankly, just the thought of Stanton hitting in Denver is quite appealing for fans too, which turns Marlins-Rockies games in Denver into must-see events.
Friday’s was no exception, and those who attended or tuned in to watch Stanton were not disappointed as he launched what’s now recognized by ESPN’s Hit Tracker as the longest home run in MLB this season.
[On this week’s StewPod: Who belongs in the baseball video-game Hall of Fame?]
The distance: 484 feet, which moved it past Joc Pederson’s 480 foot blast also at Coors Field on Tuesday. In addition to being the longest in MLB this season, it’s the second longest homer since ESPN’s Hit Tracker started keeping track of distances back in 2009. Stanton owns the longest home run on that list at 494 feet. That also came at Coors Field in 2012.
The landing spot: About 20 rows up the bleachers just to the left of center field. It’s the deepest part of Coors Field and Stanton cleared the fence by an absurd margin.
The unfortunate victim: Rockies right-hander Eddie Butler.
The rest of the story: Amazingly, 10 of Stanton’s last 16 hits have been home runs. That dates back to May 15, however, so it’s not as if he’s been on a major hot streak. In fact, during that stretch he’s hitting just .211 with five singles, a double and 27 strikeouts.
He has been testing the tape measure though, with five of those home runs since May 15 landing in the top nine for distance this season. So yes, even when he’s struggling, Stanton is still capable of squaring one up. He’s just so strong that sometimes he doesn’t even need to square one up to knock it 450 feet.
We noted his affection for Coors Field too. In 15 games there, he’s now homered eight times.in 58 at-bats. That includes a six-game home run streak in Stanton’s first six career games in Denver during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
There are a lot parks Stanton can consider his home away from home, including Nationals Park in Washington where he’s hit 15 homers and Citi Field in New York where he’s hit 12, but Coors Field is his sweet spot.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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