Dennis “Big Dan” Brouthers, Detroit Wolverines

Image Source: Unknown, but assumed to be in the Public Domain

Photo Subject: Portrait of Hall of Fame first baseman, Dan Brouthers, as a member of the Detroit Wolverines (1886-1888).

Fun Fact / Folklore: Considered one of baseball’s first great sluggers, Dan Brouthers (Pronounced “Broo-therz”) was 6’2” tall and weighted in at just under 210 pounds, which was large by 19th century standards.

Folklore has it that Brouthers once hit a home run that measured 1,300 feet. Supposedly, the mammoth blast happened in 1894 when he was playing for the Baltimore Orioles, and happen at Baltimore Oriole Park. The Buffalo Times described what happened in a September 9, 1913 issue:

“Brouthers’ hit went low 500 feet to right center fence, over the top and rolled down Guilford Avenue three blocks, a total of 1,300 feet, where it was picked up by a cigarmaker named Hassenbal, who kept it for 15 years, when it was turned over to Brouthers at the home-coming festivities in Baltimore several years ago.”

Brouthers recalls smashing a monster hit back then, but was short on important details like, when did this happen or who was pitching or who was Baltimore playing that day. 

“I remember distinctly hitting a ball over the right center field fence at Baltimore in the season of 1894. This hit was a line drive clearing the fence by about 15 feet, and the people said it went down Guilford Avenue one or two blocks. I do not recall the team we were playing against, or the exact date.

“I have talked to Groundskeeper Murphy regarding this matter, and he says the fence was fully 500 feet from the home plate. Several people called on Murphy when he was groundskeeper at Baltimore for the purpose of deciding bets as to the distance, which accounts for his having measured it.”

According to the Orioles’ scorekeeper Abe Marks:

“We were playing Louisville or St. Louis, I forget which, and Brouthers lined a hit low over the fence just to right center, with hardly a curve on it. That ball never stopped until it hit something sticking up in Guilford Avenue, two or three blocks away, about 1,500 feet from the home plate. It was the longest hit I have ever seen made, and I’ve been 24 years watching baseball at home and on the road.”

Painting Detail: Printed on 8½” x 11” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.

Acknowledgement: Did Baseball HOFer Dan Brouthers Really Hit a 1,300 Foot Home Run? Andrew Martin.