Is It Possible To Hit A Baseball 600 ft?

One of the most exciting moments in sports is watching a baseball player absolutely drill a ball over the wall of a stadium for a homerun. While there have been some long bombs in history, the question always remains of how far a ball can be hit. Is it possible to hit a ball 600 feet? Keep reading to find out!

Is It Physically Possible To Hit a Ball 600 Feet?

Theoretically, it is possible for a player to hit a baseball 600 feet, but it has yet to be done and recorded professionally. The generally accepted limit of distance for a baseball hit by a batter is around 570 feet. However, this distance has been unofficially broken on a few occasions both in the MLB and in the minor leagues. 

Although the 600 foot ball has not been hit yet, that doesn't mean that it is impossible. However, it is very unlikely. The sheer amount of force and power required to drive a baseball 600 plus feet is so immense that it is unlikely we will ever see it happen.

Beyond just strength, there are many factors that make hitting a 600 footer highly improbable. This includes angle of the hit, weather conditions, the condition of the ball, and even the temperature.

What Is The Farthest a Ball Has Been Hit In Professional Baseball?

The farthest confirmed hit in baseball history was a 582-foot home run driven by Joey Meyer. This record was set in 1987 and wasn’t even hit in an MLB game. The ball was hit while Meyer was playing for the triple-A Denver Zephyrs. The record sits just around the accepted limit of travel for a baseball of 570 feet. Following this impressive feat and record breaking hit, Meyer would go on to play in the majors for the Brewers from 1988 to 1989.

What Is The Farthest Recorded Hit In The MLB?

The farthest recorded hit during the modern era of the MLB was a 505-foot home run hit by the Texas Rangers’ own Nomar Mazarra in 2019. The modern era, in this case, is defined as the StatCast Era, which began in 2015. Mazarra’s 505-foot homer is followed rather closely by 504-footers by Ginacalo Stanton and C.J. Cron.

What Is The Farthest Home Run Hit In The Home Run Derby?

The longest home run hit at an MLB Home Run Derby was a 520-foot shot from Juan Soto in 2021. This home run was hit at the ballpark home to several of the farthest-hit balls of all time, Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. Coors Field sits 5,200 above sea level, where the air is roughly 20% thinner. Thus, the ball slips through the air much easier, allowing for extra far home runs.

What Is The Farthest Ball Claimed To Be Hit In The MLB?

The farthest a ball has ever been claimed to be hit in the history of the MLB was a Mickey Mantle homer that was alleged to have traveled a mind boggling 734 feet after being hit by Mantle. There is currently no way to prove or disprove this claim, and there is no real consensus on the validity or authenticity of this distance.

Another of Mickey Mantle's driven home runs, an alleged 600-footer hit at USC in 1951, was actually estimated to be 536 feet. Babe Ruth was also claimed to have hit a homerun that went beyond 600 feet. However, this record also cannot be verified or proven to be legitimate.

The technology in use now to track the distance a ball travels after it has been hit simply did not exist until relatively recently, and as such, estimating the distance a ball traveled over 50 years ago is a challenge.