Nomar Mazara attacked the heavens with a massive 491-foot home run, the longest this year
There are some who believe that our world is held inside a gigantic biodome -- that we're living in a glass case on some alien's shelf like the city of Kandor. Nomar Mazara tried to test that theory on Wednesday when he used his mighty bat to launch a ball to the far reaches of our atmosphere.
Battting against the Angels' Hector Santiago in the bottom of the second, Mazara took the 83-mph cutter and crushed it a Statcast™-measured 491-feet away into the second deck. While the sky did not shatter apart into a million pieces, proving Mazara's theory inconclusive, the dinger easily bested Giancarlo Stanton's 475-foot shot for the longest of the year.
Not only that, but Mazara's homer approached the farthest distance a human can actually hit a baseball. David Kagan of "The Hardball Times" did the math, and with still air, the longest home run a human can feasibly hit -- at the maximum velocity and with the perfect launch angle -- can barely top 500 feet.
It's also the third-longest homer since that bolt of lightning struck a computer and gave it Statcast™.
The Rangers' outfielder has done much more than just hit massive home runs, though. Since making his MLB debut on April 10, Mazara has been a hitting machine. The Rangers' No. 2 prospect entering the year, he went 3-for-4 with a home run in his first game.
Entering Wednesday (after a 3-for-3 game with a home run on Tuesday), Mazara was hitting .317/.364/.483. Though only 21 years-old, he leads the Rangers in OPS and was tied for the team lead in dingers. If he keeps it up, not only could he one day crest the 500-foot plateau, but he could help the Rangers topple the Mariners for the AL West lead.
