Can anyone hit it to the Pike?
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 07/12/99
Beyond the tape measure, every ballpark has a home run distance marked by legend and lore. Clearing the roof at old Forbes Field. Upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium. The 600 level at Veterans Stadium. The light tower at Tiger Stadium.
For Fenway Park, the Massachusetts Turnpike has always held a distant mystique.
Longball hitters Frank Howard, Harmon Killebrew, Dwight Evans and Jim Rice sent blasts close to the eastbound lane, but there are no confirmed reports of baseballs bouncing into traffic. However, with the Home Run Derby coming to town, the question remains, "Can it be done?"
Mathematically, yes. Based on ballpark blueprints, the distance to the turnpike ranges from 525 feet in left field to 589 feet in left-center, to 598 feet in deep left-center.
Shots exceeding 525 feet have been recorded. But the Green Monster, light towers, and a Lansdowne Street parking garage increase the level of difficulty for each turnpike attempt. Any home run must be hit at a sharp trajectory to have a chance. Yet, it must maintain enough velocity outside the park to hit the highway.
As with all historic home run happenings, a blast to the turnpike requires the perfect combination of player, pitch, and physics. But if ever there was a chance at adding to home run lore, it will come when the All-Star hitters are in town.
