Word had already passed through the clubhouses in both Boston and Worcester.
"Did you see that video of Franchy hitting that ball?"
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It has become stuff of legend. But to add to the excitement and amazement was that the tale actually came with proof.
Yes, Franchy Cordero once hit a ball 578 feet.
"It was 3-1 and I just put my barrel on the ball," Cordero explained to WEEI.com prior to Monday night's game. "That was the longest ball I’ve ever hit. That was far away, Papi! When the ball pass the stadium the ball disappeared, nobody saw it."
The at-bat came in El Paso, when Cordero was playing for San Diego's Triple-A team.
Normally, evidence of the 2019 blast would be hard to find considering the ball went foul and was not a home run. (Good luck uncovering video on YouTube.) But, fortunately for Cordero, the folks at Southwest University Park were quick to at least pass along whatever information they had to the Padres prospect.
For some context, hitting home runs in El Paso was certainly the norm that season Cordero was there, with the Chihuahuas breaking the Pacific Coast League homer record in 2019. The city is is 3,740 feet above sea level.
Cordero's longest home run as a major leaguer came as a member of the Padres when he launched one 489 feet. This season, he managed a 474-foot blast in Philadelphia.
And in case there is any doubt, such a blast is possible, there have been others which sailed just as far. One that has lived in baseball lore for some time is the 587-foot blast in Tampa walloped by Babe Ruth back in 1919.
Then there was the ball Joey Meyer hit during the 1987 minor-league season ...
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