On June 18, 1962, Cubs rookie Lou Brock — known for speed, not power — crushed a home run into the right field bleachers at The Polo Grounds — a feat so rare, he became just the third player ever to reach those seats. It was the kind of slugging display reserved for power hitters — not a man racing toward the all-time stolen base record, and Chicago sportswriters took note.

But what happened next deepened the intrigue.

The very next day, Hank Aaron — undeniably a power hitter — launched a tape-measure shot into the distant stands of the Polo Grounds.

Two awe-inspiring homers in two days had fans and sportswriters buzzing. Was it the players? The parks? Or had something changed in the baseballs themselves? Mets manager Casey Stengel weighed in with his colorful thoughts. Sportswriters weighed in too, and got the views of the last slugger to reach those seats, Joe Adcock.

It was the Milwaukee Braves Adcock’s blast in 1953 that led one Milwaukee sportswriter to share his own explanation for the ability to propel a ball that far.