Baseball history was made in Tampa on April 4, 1919, when Babe Ruth hit what many consider to be his longest home run ever.
Ruth was still with the Boston Red Sox at the time. The team was in town for spring training at Plant Field, which was located on the current site of the University of Tampa.
Ruth led off the bottom of the second inning, facing pitcher George Smith of the New York Giants.
It was a fastball down the middle. First swing -- swat! Witnesses say Ruth lobbed that ball over the right field fence and it just kept on going. It finally came down and rolled to a stop 587 feet away.
A roadside marker is located near the Hillsborough River on the north side of Kennedy Boulevard on the University of Tampa campus.
The Home Run That Changed History
Physics of a Home Run
Early Photograph of Plant Field
