Las Vegas optic., 1913-09-26
LONGEST HIT IN
The HISTORY OF
BASEBALL
DAN BRoUTHERs MADE 1T IN
BALTIMORE WAY BACK
IN 1894

Joe Jackson, a few months ago,
while the Cleveland team was laying
the New Yorks at the Polo Grounds,
| hit the ball to right field and to the
itop of the grandstand, and immediate
lly it was alleged to have been the
longest hit ever made in the history
of baseball.
Thus the present generation, cock
sure that everything excetional hap
pening on the diamond nowadays
could not have been eclipsed in the
good old days, is wrong again.
The longest hit ever made in base
ball happened in 1894, in and out Of
the grounds of the old Baltimore Ori-
oles, and the club swinger was Dan
Brouthers. Brouthers hit was long
er than Joe Jackson's masterpiece by
at least block. If anyone doubts
this, here are several important per-
lsonages who saw it: John J. Nc
Graw, manager of the New York Gil
ants, and at that time a member of
the Oriole team; Hughey Jennings.
manager Of the Detroit Tigers and at
that time member Of the Oriole
team. Dan Brouthers himself;
Groundkeeper Murphy of old Oriole
park, and Abe Maks, scorecard man
in old Oriole park.
You may not be familiar with the
layout of the old Oriole park, but the
following will give anyone an idea of
Brouthers' belt:
Brouthers hit went low, five hun
dred feet to right center fence, over
the top and rolled down Guilford Av-
enue three blocks, total of 1900
feet, where it was picked up by a
cigar maker named Hassenbal, who
kept it for fifteen years, when it was
returned to Brouthers at the home
coming festivities in Baltimore sew
eral years ago.
Here is what Dan Brouthers says
of his wallop:
81 remember distinctly hitting a
ball over the right center fence at
Baltimore in the season of 1894. This
hit was line drive, clearing the
fence by about fifteen feet, and the
people said it went down Guilford
Avenue one or two blocks do not
recall the team we we're playing
against or the exact date.
'sI have talked with Groundkeeper
Murphy regarding this matter, and
he says the point at which the ball
went over the fence was fully five
hundred feet from the home plate.
several people called on Murphy when
he was groundkeeper at Baltimore
for the purpose of deciding bets as to-
the distance. which accounts for his
having measured it.
81 have made several other hits
that | know equaled that made by
Jackson, particularly one in Boston,
one in Columbus, one in Springfield
and one in Raleigh
"Jackson's hit at the Polo Grounds
has been greatly exaggerated. | saw
the hit, and the ball did not go en-
tirely over the stand, but landed on
the top. I had a man go up and get
the ball and bring it to Jackson, who
gave him fifty cents for it as SOU
venir. The right field foul line on
the Polo Grounds is exactly 271 feet
from the home plate and the hit went
about fifteen or twenty feet fair in
stead Of over the extreme right wing
of the stand do not wish to detract
in any way from the credit due Jack
son for his hit, but the above are
facts"
John J. McGraw has the following
to say regarding Brouthers' smash:
II did not see Jackson's hit on the
Polo Grounds, but from information
gathered at good authority, Brouth-
eHsi hit at Baltimore unquestionablyE
was further than Jackson's by al
block !. ,
Don't think / am trying to take
any credit away from Jackson, but in
an my experience in baseball have
never seen a hit made to equal the
one made by Brouthers in Baltimore,
and I don't think | ever will"
Hugh Jennings says: Il don't
think the hit Brouthers made over
the right center fence in Baltimore
was as long as the one he had made
on the training trip the same year
(1S94) in Raleigh, N. G. There have
been longer hits than the one Jack