495?! Sanó's Monster homer exits Fenway

Solo shot vs. Red Sox marks longest in the Majors this season

BOSTON -- Here’s one thing Twins manager Rocco Baldelli always points out about Miguel Sanó: Much of the time, all he needs to do is make solid contact, and it’s a safe bet that he’ll hit the baseball a long, long way.

Sometimes, the big man makes more than simply solid contact -- and that’s when everyone in the zip code needs to take cover.

Such was the case on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, when Sanó put all of his might into a hanging slider by Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta and sent a solo home run clear over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park for a titanic blast measured by Statcast at 495 feet, the longest home run in the Majors this season. The long ball gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

That homer didn’t just leave Fenway Park; it sailed out of the ballpark to straightaway left-center field, to the right of the big light tower on the center-field side of the Green Monster. If you think baseballs don’t take that route out of the stadium too often, you’d be right: Before Sanó’s monster clout, the longest homer at Fenway tracked by Statcast was a mere 469 feet, hit by Hanley Ramírez on April 29, 2017.

Certainly, it was the best challenge in some time by any hitter to Ted Williams’ legendary blast of June 9, 1946, which traveled an estimated 502 feet and was honored by a red seat in the right-field bleachers as the longest home run believed to be hit at the venerable stadium.