Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas hit a moonshot off of a Griffin Canning changeup in the first inning of Boston's matchup with the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Statcast marked the two-run home run at 429 feet, 73 feet shorter than the home run Ted Williams was credited with on June 9, 1946, in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Williams' home run is currently marked by a red seat in a sea of green and while Casas walloped his, it didn't even come close, leading to some speculation on the first baseman's part.
“That’s my best ball for sure,” Casas said (transcribed by MassLive). “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.”
Casas isn't the first to question the legitimacy of Williams' supposed Fenway Park record. Hall of Famer David Ortiz posed the question during his playing days.
“You see how strong ballplayers are today,” Ortiz said in 2016. “And I’m not saying Mr. Ted Williams wasn’t. But you see how far guys are hitting balls today. And none of them can do it?
“That red seat? I’ve been hitting bombs for years and I haven’t come close. No disrespect. Mr. Ted Williams was a great hitter. But as far as being strong, I don’t know if he was stronger than me and (former Red Sox first baseman) Mo (Vaughn) … That red seat is inhuman.”
It doesn't seem that anybody will ever match or surpass the distance that Williams' ball supposedly went. It's a cool story, but the further removed from the event we get, the more improbable it seems.
