MIAMI — Avisail Garcia seemed to get every bit of the Caleb Smith pitch he launched for a massive homer Tuesday, but the chatter the day after was how he got cheated on the measurement, which was estimated by MLB’s Statcast system at 471 feet.
Rays centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier was among the most adamant, saying and taking to Twitter to insist the blast was “every bit of 500+ feet.’’
Without getting too deep into the math, the Rays might have a point as the ball hit on a walkway that is about 20 feet beyond the 407-foot centerfield fence and grassed-over batter’s eye background, and 36 feet above field level.