A monumental success

Takes him 14 tries – not bad considering what he is doing here – before Washington Senators catcher Gabby Street successfully catches a ball dropped 115 years ago today from the top of the Washington Monument.

The force of the impact from the ball traveling 555 feet from the top of the monument is estimated between 200 and 300 pounds, and nearly knocks Street to the ground.

Travel time of the ball coming down is clocked at five seconds from fling to finish.

Estimated speed: 95 mph.

“I didn’t see the ball until it was halfway down,” Street says after making the catch while wearing slacks, dress shirt and tie.

“The ball I caught hit my mitt with terrific force, much greater than any pitched ball I have ever caught. Though my mitt is three to four inches thick, the force of the ball numbed my hand.”

No worries for the 25-year-old Street, who recovers well enough to play that afternoon, catching Walter Johnson’s five-hitter in a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers in a Friday matinee before a crowd of 3,820 at Washington’s League Park. Street goes 0-for-2 in the game with a walk.