BOSTON — Aaron Judge believes Ted Williams hit Fenway Park’s legendary red seat, but he doesn’t think anyone else will.
Even though the Yankees lost the game after blowing a late three-run lead to the Red Sox, the assembled media in front of the Yankee slugger wanted to ask him about his home run.
It was too good not to.
Judge has hit a lot of home runs and many of them have gone a long way, but this one went 470-feet to a part of Fenway Park that’s almost impossible to hit a ball to. It sailed just over the TV camera perch in deep centerfield and just under the left-most of the park’s three video boards. He crushed it.
The spot where Aaron Judge’s 470-foot home run landed.Matt Vautour
“I try not to watch them. I had to check the replay to see where it went,” Judge said. “I was just happy it gave us three runs.”
Yankee manager Aaron Boone couldn’t tell where it landed.
“I just know when he squared it up it was as clean as you can hit a baseball,” Boone said. “I didn’t know where it went, but he pured it.”
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It was the third longest home run in Fenway Park since Statcast began recording official distances in 2015. Miguel Sanó hit one 485 feet in 2021 and Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit another 471 feet earlier this year.
“The big boy is who he is. He’s amazing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I haven’t seen a guy hit a ball there since ‘07 when Manny (Ramirez) used to lift up there.”
But the recognized longest home run ever in Fenway Park is Ted Williams’ 502-foot shot to right field on June 9, 1946. As far as Judge hit the ball, Williams’ home run went 32 feet farther en route to Seat 21 in Row 37 of section 42.
Many Red Sox players since then, especially lefthanded power hitters have questioned the accuracy of the almost 80-year-old measurement. Mo Vaughn was skeptical. David Ortiz didn’t believe it. Earlier this year Triston Casas crushed a ball 429-feet in April and couldn’t believe how much further the Red Seat still was from it.
That’s a long home run, but still at least a two-putt from Williams’ legendary clout.
“That’s my best ball for sure,” Casas said. “I had one hit harder, exit velo-wise, last year. But that Ted Williams seat is starting to feel more and more like a myth.”
Alex Cora was diplomatic after hearing Casas’ comments.
“It was probably a very windy day when he hit it,” Cora said. “I don’t know the conditions that day. But it’s a long ways.”
What does Judge think?
“Yeah that’s impossible,” he said.
Was Williams’ hit an exaggeration? A myth?
“Not a myth. I think he definitely did it,” Judge said shaking his head. “But that’s a tough one.”
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
