Independence Day Dinger Ties Jimmy Foxx with 534 Career Long Ball

Say what you want about Manny Ramirez, but the man can flat out hit the horse- hide.  Plus he clearly loves the game of baseball and is loved in return by fans nationwide who have embraced his quirky “Manny Being Manny” persona, unconventional approach to the major leagues and obvious power at the plate.

So it comes as no surprise that after sitting out of “the show” for roughly two months, during which he served a 50-game suspension and tuned up with a couple of minor league games, he apologized to his fans and teammates one more time and got right back to doing what he does best...cranking out home runs.  

"It’s Showtime!" said an exuberant Man-Ram at a news conference before his first game back on Friday, July 3rd. "I want to say I'm sorry to the fans, to my teammates that they're always there for me," Ramirez said. "I want to thank Frank McCourt for his support," he added, referring to the Dodgers' owner. "I'm here. I'm excited. I can't wait to get into the field."

In a scene that couldn’t have been scripted any better by La La land screenwriters, Ramirez hit the fourth pitch he saw on the 4th of July (a 1-2 changeup from Padres’ pitcher Josh Geer) an estimated 369 feet into the seats in left field at San Diego's Petco Park (view video) .  The blast was Ramirez's seventh of the season and 534th of his career, tying Jimmie Foxx for 16th on the all-time list.

Up next is Mickey Mantle with 536.

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