In Los Angeles, Roberto Clemente takes Sandy Koufax very, very deep, the ball carrying far beyond the 375-foot mark in right field (which, as the Dodgers will later acknowledge, is incorrectly marked and actually 394 feet from home plate). This puts Pittsburgh up, 4 – 0, bringing the pitcher’s evening to an early end. Koufax will later describe it as the longest ball he’s ever seen hit to the opposite field, a fastball on the outside corner that Clemente drives out of the park – “not just over the fence,” according to Koufax, “but way out.” Apart from the Dodgers’ Frank Howard, who accomplishes the feat three times, Clemente is the only right-handed batter to hit an opposite field home run at the Coliseum this season.

This Day In Baseball

On August 30, 1960 — In Los Angeles, Roberto Clemente takes Sandy Koufax very, very deep, the ball carrying far beyond the 375-foot mark in right field (which, as the Dodgers will later acknowledge, is incorrectly marked and actually 394 feet from home plate). This puts Pittsburgh up, 4 – 0, bringing the pitcher’s evening to an early end. Koufax will later describe it as the longest ball he’s ever seen hit to the opposite field, a fastball on the outside corner that Clemente drives out of the park – “not just over the fence,” according to Koufax, “but way out.” Apart from the Dodgers’ Frank Howard, who accomplishes the feat three times, Clemente is the only right-handed batter to hit an opposite field home run at the Coliseum this season.

Support This Day In Baseball on Patreon

Sources:
Baseball Reference August 30
National Pastime August 30
Retro Sheet
Hall of Fame
SABR Games Project
Replay The Game