Joey Gallo’s mammoth home run breaks Statcast; measurements not found

Where did the ball go? How far did it travel? How fast did it come off the bat?

None of these questions have been answered for Minnesota Twins slugger Joey Gallo’s mammoth three-run homer against the Chicago Cubs Saturday afternoon at Target Field. 

Hayden Wesneski threw a 94.9-mph fastball right in Gallo’s wheelhouse in the bottom of the third inning with runners on first and second, and the left-handed hitter took advantage with a large uppercut that sent the ball flying toward right-center field. 

The Twins broadcasters tried to track the ball viewing different TV camera angles as Gallo began rounding the bases, but they could not find it. No one in the stands even knew where the ball was, and you could tell by their reactions. 

All everyone knew was that Gallo hit the ball really far, and it added three runs to Minnesota’s 1-0 lead.

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It was Gallo’s eighth homer of the season and gave him 18 RBIs.

Alex Kirilloff went back-to-back after Gallo rounded the bases, and Statcast was able to measure the exit velocity of his homer at 101.3 mph, which sent the ball traveling 422 feet. 

It’s a shame that Statcast didn’t record the measurements of Gallo’s gargantuan blast. It could have stood in the record books. The longest homer ever hit recorded by Statcast since 2015 was 505 feet off the bat of Nomar Mazara while he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Gallo is tied for eighth on that list at 495 feet during his time with the Texas Rangers. That blast came July 20, 2018, against the Cleveland Guardians off closer Cody Allen. It was also a clutch homer, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Gallo needed his most recent blast after entering the game 3-for-26 with no home runs in the month of May. He was slashing .198/.330/.531 with 16 hits in 81 at-bats with seven homers and 15 RBI on the season entering Saturday.