When Salt Lake Bees outfielder Jo Adell made contact with his home run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Tuesday night, the kids seated beyond the wall started running in hopes of catching a souvenir. Then they kept running and running, until the ball flew into the shrubbery in the back of the park.
Adell's blast flew a jaw-dropping 514 feet, which was the longest professional home run ever recorded by Statcast, according to MLB.com. The ball left Adell's bat at 113.6 mph and did not slow down until it landed.
How about a 514 ft home run to start your day?!
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 21, 2023
ICYMI, #Angels outfielder Jo Adell launched the longest measured home run of the season last night for @SaltLakeBees! @smile_doctors | #PlaysThatMakeUsSmile pic.twitter.com/J0Ka1omokb
Earlier in the game, Adell got a 3-0 count and took a strike before walking. He did not take a strike this time around. After the game, Adell said he was ready to swing the bat when he got that same count again in the eighth inning.
Not only was Adell's home run off the charts statistically, it was also important on the scoreboard. The three-run homer tied the game at 11-11, but the Bees wound up losing to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, 12-11.
Adell was once a top-100 prospect for the Los Angeles Angels, but he has yet to stick in the MLB, despite his power at the plate. That's because Adell struggles to make contact when he's not hitting the cover off the baseball. He played 88 games with the Angels in 2022, and he had 107 strikeouts while hitting .224.
In 61 games with Salt Lake this year, Adell is hitting .284 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI.
