Big man on campus

Mickey Mantle during his rookie season in 1951

Long home runs – really, really long home runs – are signature moments during the Hall of Fame career of Mickey Mantle from 1951-68 with the New York Yankees.

Mantle, the game’s greatest switch-hitter, hits 536 homers in the major leagues with a good number of them traveling more than 500 feet.

None of the ones Mantle hits in the majors, though, goes farther than the one he hits 75 years ago today during the Yankees’ spring training game against the best and brightest from the University of Southern California’s varsity baseball team.

Playing at USC’s Bovard Field, Mantle, batting left-handed, launches a first-inning pitch from USC’s Tom Lovrich to deep right field.

Really deep right field.

Like 656 feet deep.

Retracing Mantle’s homers at Bovard Field

At the time, Mantle is 19 years old and still trying to win a spot on the Yankees’ Opening Day roster for the 1951 season.

Mantle, who spends his first pro season in 1950 toiling in the lower half of the Yankees’ 15-team minor league system, is hoping to leave spring training in 1951 with a spot, maybe, at New York’s Class AAA affiliate in Kansas City.

His prodigious first-inning homer 75 years ago today all but clinches the opportunity to open the 1951 season in the majors.

The rest of Mantle’s afternoon against USC does indeed clinch that opportunity as he drives in seven runs with another long homer and a bases-loaded triple during a 15-1 victory over USC.

Just because Mantle is, well, Mantle – and that being a legend in the making – he beats out an infield grounder for another hit in his final at-bat of the day.

Mantle’s first home run – the one traveling 656 feet – leaves USC’s baseball field before sailing over the width of the adjoining practice football field beyond right field and coming to a stop.

Mantle’s second homer of the day is an opposite-field homer to left that travels well over 500 feet, or so goes the estimates at the time.

“It was a superhuman feat,” legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux later says of Mantle’s first homer.

Dedeaux easily could use the same comment for the rest of Mantle’s at-bats 75 years ago today.

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