In the thick of the Home Run Derby, the sheer volume of home runs players hit often gets all the attention. However, that approach sells a central part of the Derby's appeal short: Some of these home runs are absolute tape-measure shots.
Mythology surrounding baseball home-run distances are as old as the game itself. In 1953, New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle is believed to have crushed a 565-foot home run against the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. A future Yankees outfielder, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox, may have hit a 580-foot dinger in spring training in 1919. The list goes on and on.
