Today is the day where we begin to see home runs that topped the 450 foot mark on the list of the longest homers hit by the Cincinnati Reds in 2021. Jonathan India’s blast on May 14th was the 7th longest of the season and came against Germán Márquez and the Colorado Rockies.
The Video
The Metrics Behind The Blast
The 95 MPH fastball couldn’t have been anymore in the middle of the strikezone if you placed it on a tee and Jonathan India did what you’re supposed to do with those kinds of pitches – he put it into orbit, crushing the ball into the trees beyond the fence in center in Colorado.
Distance Metrics
Distance: 451 Feet
Reds Rank: 7th
Major League Baseball Rank: 146th (tie)
Jonathan India Rank (2021): 1st
Other Metrics
Launch Angle: 24°
Exit Velocity: 108.7 MPH
Reds Exit Velocity Rank (home runs only): 38th out of 222
MLB Exit Velocity Rank (home runs only): 958th (tie) out of 5935
The Story Behind The Blast
A day prior, Jonathan India hit his 2nd homer of the season. He kept the power coming in Colorado on May 14th when he went 2-4 with a double and his 3rd homer of the season. Germán Márquez had been pitching well, having allowed just two runs in 6.0 innings on the day, but the 7th inning didn’t go his way. He gave up a leadoff single to Shogo Akiyama and then fell behind Jonathan India 2-0. Holding an 8-2 lead the Rockies called for a fastball down in the zone. Márquez missed his spot and India made him pay with a laser over the wall in center and over the first set of trees before the ball landed 451 feet from the plate. Entering the series in Colorado, Jonathan India had a .616 OPS. A big series there helped propel him moving forward as he posted an .872 OPS from that point forward as he locked in and won the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year award.
You can follow along the entire series here