The Longest Home Run I Ever Snagged

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been having lots of fun with Google Maps’s Measurement Tool lately.

This isn’t a topic that I’m going to write about forever, but I do want to use it in a few more blog posts. As a quick recap, I’ve used it to look at the following things:

• Swimming pool splash hits at MiLB parks;
• Natural body of water splash hits at MiLB parks; and
• A memorable batting practice homer that broke a hotel’s glass door.

If you haven’t checked out those posts, please feel free to take a look.

In this post, I’m once again relying on the Measurement Tool to estimate the distance of the longest home run I ever snagged. Even without using the tool, I know with certainty that a baseball I found back in 2010 at Eastwood Field was the farthest from home plate of any ball I’ve acquired. Eastwood Field is home to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The team played in the New York-Penn League when I visited, and is now a member of the MLB Draft League.

I found the baseball in question in the grass behind the outfield fence as I did my usual pre-entry walkaround. But it wasn’t immediately behind the fence like most BP home runs. Instead, it was in a patch of grass across the vast parking lot behind the fence. Obviously, the home run had reached the asphalt and bounced/rolled until it reached its final resting place where I scooped it up. Here’s the baseball in its natural habitat; I took this artsy shot before I grabbed it:

I’ve used Google’s Measurement Tool to measure the resting place of this baseball when I found it. First, here’s a Google Maps image to which I’ve added a red “X” to identify the ball’s approximate location:

And here’s a rendering with the Measurement Tool that estimates the ball at being about 545 feet from home plate!

If you’d have told me that I could track down a BP home run nearly 550 feet from home plate, I’d have severely doubted you until I experienced it myself. I’m sharing this story not only because it’s a fun memory, but also because it’s good to remember to expand your search when you’re looking for BP home runs. In fact, one of the tips in a blog post I wrote about this topic uses this anecdote to encourage you to look well beyond the space behind the outfield fence. Baseballs can easily travel an extra 100 feet or more when they roll across asphalt, especially if the surface is sloped.

By expanding your search, you’ll dramatically increase your likelihood of finding a souvenir baseball.