CLEVELAND -- It’s one of the most exciting plays in baseball. It’s what kids imitate in the backyard with their Wiffle ball bats. The moment when a Major Leaguer launches a no-doubt home run and watches it disappear into the distance captivates fans at home and in the ballpark.
Statcast hasn’t tracked a home run at Progressive Field longer than Jim Thome’s 511-foot blast in 1999, which is forever marked in the outfield concourse. But there have been 26 homers hit that went at least an estimated 450 feet at the corner of Carnegie Avenue and Ontario Street, including six that went at least 460 feet. That includes the regular season and postseason.
Who hit the five longest home runs in the Statcast Era (since 2015) at Progressive Field? Let’s take a look:
1. Bradley Zimmer, CLE
471 feet on Aug. 9, 2021
Cleveland was well on its way to a 9-3 win over Cincinnati when it led, 8-2, in the bottom of the seventh inning. Zimmer wasted no time extending the lead, when he jumped on a first-pitch cutter from lefty Justin Wilson and launched it deep into the night. Reds center fielder Aristides Aquino briefly gave chase before the blast (which had a 111.6 mph exit velocity) landed somewhere within the trees near Heritage Park beyond the center-field wall at Progressive Field.
2. (tie) Jeimer Candelario, DET
467 feet on July 15, 2019
Detroit held a 4-3 lead over Cleveland in the top of the sixth inning when Candelario destroyed a 2-1 pitch from Adam Plutko. It jumped off the bat at 107.9 mph, as Candelario took a few slow steps toward first base to watch where it landed. The ball traveled a whopping 467 feet to hit the back wall of the visitors' bullpen. But a two-homer game by Oscar Mercado helped Cleveland ultimately come out on top, 8-6.
2. (tie) Elly De La Cruz, CIN
467 feet on Sept. 26, 2023
Cincinnati led Cleveland, 9-7, in the top of the ninth inning when De La Cruz capped off a huge performance with a monster two-run homer. The Reds’ shortstop got a 1-1 curveball from right-hander Xzavion Curry, and he launched it to the back of the right-field seats at Progressive Field. The homer (which had a 119.2 mph exit velocity) capped off De La Cruz’s 3-for-5 night in which he hit two homers and recorded four RBIs, in the Reds’ 11-7 win.
4. Bradley Zimmer, CLE
465 feet on Aug. 26, 2021
Zimmer seemed to have a knack for belting long home runs in August 2021. In the first inning of Cleveland’s 10-6 win over Texas, he got a 2-1 four-seam fastball from Jordan Lyles at the top of the strike zone and sent it a long way for a two-run shot. Zimmer’s homer (which had a 113.9 mph exit velocity) snuck inside the right-field foul pole at Progressive Field and deflected off the second level of seats. It gave Cleveland an early 4-0 lead that it would not relinquish.
5. Avisaíl García, MIL
464 feet on Sept. 12, 2021
García capped off Milwaukee's 11-1 win over Cleveland by crushing a solo home run in the eighth inning off right-hander Bryan Shaw. García got an 0-1 sweeper over the plate and sent it halfway up the stands under Progressive Field’s left-field video board. The homer had a 113.2 mph exit velocity, and it was one of two García slugged that day to help Milwaukee pick up the win.
What about the Guardians’ longest homers at their home ballpark?
We’ve already learned that Zimmer hit two of Cleveland’s Top 5 longest blasts at home, but who fills out the rest of the club’s Top 5?
1. Zimmer: 471 feet on Aug. 9, 2021
2. Zimmer: 465 feet on Aug. 26, 2021
3. Mike Napoli: 460 feet on July 8, 2016
4. Bobby Bradley: 457 feet on July 13, 2019
5. Francisco Lindor: 456 feet on April 27, 2017