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Clearly, Reggie himself understood the importance of that memorable event, as a vintage notation on the OAL (Cronin) ball, signed just days after the All-Star Game, attests:

"July 12, 1971, Pinch-hit for Vida in 2nd inning of the 1971 All-Star Game, Doc Ellis, This is one of the biggest thrills of my career. An All time HR at the All-Time game. A.L. - 6, N.L. - 4, Reggie Jackson."

While Jackson's date is one day off, this isn’t uncommon with historic baseballs. Most players sign them later and since they are constantly on the road, the date is more often than not, off by a day or two.



1971 All-Star Voting ballot

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The Longest Home Run in Baseball History:
Reggie's '71 All-Star Game Home Run Ball

In the 2nd inning of the 1971 All-Star game, Reggie Jackson, who was a last minute substitution for the injured Tony Oliva, hit what is considered, through serious scientific analysis, the longest home run ever recorded in professional baseball history. This is the ball.

He hit it off of Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis on an 0 and 2 count. The ball hit the light tower at Tiger Stadium over 400 feet from home plate and was seen to still be rising. A study done by Wayne State University says the ball was on a trajectory to travel 650 feet!




Moment of Impact: Reggie Jackson unloads on an 0-2 Dock Ellis slider during the 1971 All-Star game, hitting the most gargantuan home run in the game’s history. July 13, 1971.


After it hit the light tower, the ball came down in rightfield to Willie Mays who threw it in to Reggie to keep as a memento. Reggie later gave it to an old friend and business associate who notarized recollection says: "As I recall, Jackson visited my office a few days following the 1971 All Star game. He said, 'I have a present for you,' and handed me this ball. He then retold the experience of hitting the home run. I don't think either of us could have fathomed this ball's significance at the time.”

Many baseball experts now point to this homer as Jackson's "arrival," his notice to the sports world (there were 21 future Hall of Famers playing in the ’71 All-Star game) that he was a legend in the making. His third home run in Game 6 of the ’77 World Series made him a legend. Click here to see that ball.

Here’s an article from 2005 that recalls Reggie’s 1971 All-Star blast: The longest ball struck in baseball history.