Dave Kingman’s home run, a monstrous blast estimated to have travelled 515 feet, was, and will now always remain, the longest round-tripper ever hit at old Shea Stadium. “Kong’s” tape-measure home run, a solo shot over the left-center wall, came in the fourth inning off Larry Christenson in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to Philadelphia.

For the second day in a row, I am featuring an iconic New York Met, Dave Kingman. The 6’6” Kong, did two things: hit mammoth homers and struck out a lot. He led the league in homers in 1979 with 48 and in 1982 with 37 and finished his 16-year Big League career with a total of 442. He also led the league in strikeouts 3 separate seasons.

Kingman played for the Giants, the Mets, the Padres, the Angels, the Yankees, the Cubs, the Mets again, and finally the A’s. Though he hit 30+ homers seven times in his career he only made three All-Star Games. He was just ahead of his time.

In today’s game, a player who hits homers and strikes out a lot is quite common. When Kingman played in the 1970s & 1980s, he was often considered a liability. Or at least not the type of player to be emulated.

If Kong played baseball in today’s game, I think he would be more appreciated than he was in his day. He would be much more coveted at least by the modern-metrics types. He naturally did what they preach, “swing for the fences, and strikeouts be damned.”

One of the things Kingman is remembered for is a ball that he hit in the Metrodome against the Twins that never came down. Here is a video commemorating that hit. Enjoy!