The folks over at AccuWeather.com have have analyzed all 105 home run hit at the new stadium, and they have determined that the dimensions of the fences are what have created a hitter's paradise in The Bronx.
The difference is in the dimensions. For someone attending a game at the New Yankee Stadium, or watching on TV, the size of the playing field appears to be the same. The dimensions at select corners of the field are identical - and the posted numbers on the walls reflect that. However, detailed schematics of the park reveal some nuances that have significant implications.
In right field, the newfound homer haven, the wall structure is slightly different than the old park. The main difference involves curvature. The gentle curve from right field to center field seen in original Yankee Stadium has largely been eliminated at the new stadium. This is due in large part to the presence of a manual scoreboard embedded within the wall. Losing this curvature has resulted in a right field that is shorter by 4-5 feet on average, but up to 9 feet in spots.
Not only is the famed short porch even shorter in the new stadium, but the walls themselves are not as tall. In the old ballpark, the walls in right field stood at a height of approximately 10 feet. At this height, it was difficult for outfielders to scale the wall and attempt to rob a home run over the fence. Fast forward to 2009, and the outfielders have been scaling the wall without any trouble. The result? The new outfield fences only rise to a height of 8 feet, adding to the ease hitting a home run to right.
Taking into account the dimensions of the field and wall height, AccuWeather.com has calculated that 19 percent (20 out of 105) home runs would not have flown out of the old stadium. If the first 29 games are any indication, 293 home runs will be hit by the end of the year at the New Yankee Stadium, just short of the record of 303 home runs hit at Denver's Coors Field in 1999. If this is the case, as many as 56 home runs could be attributed to the size of the new playing field.
The question now is will the Yankees move the walls back to fix the problem.
21 Comments:
I think with all the bad publicity the stadium is getting when it comes to the surplus of homeruns, they will move the walls back in the off season.
The increase in home runs at home is also helped by the additions of Swisher and Teixeira, and the better start to the season by guys like Jeter, Cano, Posada, and Melky.
Secondly, I don't understand how this is a "problem." Fenway has been a hitter's paradise, especially to LF, and that hasn't seemed to hamper the Red Sox success over the past several years nor sparked discussions on how to fix the "problem" of the green monster and the ridiculous number of cheap hits and HRs that happen there.
The benefits of a quirky ballpark is that you can build your team to take advantage of the field. Our current lineup is filled with lefty hitters that can pull HRs, as well as righties with opposite field power potential (A-Rod, Jeter). Additionally, your pitchers can learn to take advantage of the field's dimensions better than an opposing pitcher can, because your pitchers get to play many more games in that ballpark.
I just don't see how it's a problem. Just because the new stadium has given up more HRs (most of them Yankee HRs) doesn't make this a "problem" that needs to be "fixed."
Greg, it looks like another hat-tip for you by me over at you-know-where. Great job catching this one.
Finally it all makes sense!
as long as we win, who cares?
great article very informative.
Looks like if they want to keep the manual scoreboards, they'll have to make the initial "jut" back from the poles much more dramatic.
It would probably only mean the loss of a few hundred seats, and those sections seem to have plenty of empty seats anyway.
Look for seats to be removed in the off-season and walls pushed back and increased in height.
As for the wind, the roof of the new stadium does not jut out to cover the entire upper deck. The roof can be expanded to cover the upper deck and will dramatically enhance the appearance of the frieze. The lights will be moved as well.
Anon, people around baseball consider it a problem, we've already heard pitchers from around the league and the Yankee clubhouse complain about the homers and how you have to pitch differently at the new place. So there are many who consider it a problem.
Thanks Steve.
Great info!
Mike
It is a problem because future free agent pitchers will not want to come to the Stadium if the ball is going to keep flying out and their ERA's are going to skyrocket.
I think it's a problem but a correctable one in the off-season.
As for the homers being up because of Swish and Tex, that is correct but only to a small degree.
But I did the numbers for this and the homerun numbers at Yankee Stadium and away are significantly different.
This is an easy comparison because through the game on June 9th, the Yanks have played 29 games at home and 29 games on the road.
Here they are:
Homers @ Yankee Stadium
Yankees - 56
Opponent - 49
Total - 105
Homers Away -
Yankees - 30
Opponent - 30
Total - 60
I know the short right porch gives the hitters an advantage but it's not just the yanks cranking them out at an enormous pace.
The Yanks are hitting about 87% more homers at Yankee Stadium than away.
Opponents are hitting about 65% more homers at Yankee Stadium than at their home parks.
what problem?
I like home runs, and so does everyone else, except peter gammons who prefers 1 million doubles a season.
If they extended the roof of the upper deck all the way out like it used to be, the dramatic setting of the entire place would be restored, it might even be intimidating again.
but they will never do this, too expensive and probably significant re-engineering. ripping out more cheap(er) seats is way easier.
again I dont think its an issue. any pitcher whining about having to pitch different clearly doesn't appreciate 1) winning world series 2) that their checks are written in the millions. if you get paid a million bucks to pitch for living you can shut the hell up about a few points on your era, especially if you get some world series rings as a bonus. This is god damn NY, not Cleveland, we don't bed people to play here, its a privileged.
corx: s/bed/beg
I like homers too and I'm not saying you are wrong. We all have our own opinions.
As I stated before, if things don't change, the Yanks will probably never be able to attract great free agent pitching again. Great pitchers will receive a lot of money from other teams too and will likely take less to play in a park where they don't have to worry about their ERA's skyrocketing. And as much as I like homers, I like pitching too.
But I think the Stadium should play like the old Stadium. It was designed to honor the old Stadium by being a replica and it certainly isn't playing like one.
Yankee Stadium always gave up a fair share of homers without giving up too many.
A few more stats I did:
Homeruns by month:
Yankees:
April
(7 games @ YS / 15 Away)
Yankees @ YS - 14
Yankees Away - 18
May
(16 games @ YS / 12 Away)
Yankees @ YS - 30
Yankees Away - 12
June (Thru June 9)
(6 games @ YS / 2 Away)
Yankees @ YS - 12
Yankees Away - 0
Opponents:
April
(7 games @ YS / 15 Away)
Opponent @ YS - 13
Opponent/Home - 16
May
(16 games @ YS / 12 Away)
Opponent @ YS - 30
Opponent/Home - 9
June (Thru June 9)
(6 games @ YS / 2 Away)
Opponent @ YS - 6
Opponent/Home - 3
The Yanks need to do something about the stadium.
Quality pitchers won't want to come here to pitch if the stadium gives up tons of homers.
I've never been a fan of high scoring games. Give me a 2-1 pitchers duel any day of the week over a 10-9 game filled with homers.
"It is a problem because future free agent pitchers will not want to come to the Stadium if the ball is going to keep flying out and their ERA's are going to skyrocket."
Pitchers don't (and shouldn't) be coming to the Yankees to worry about their ERA. You SHOULD come to the Yankees because you know that's one of the best chances you have to get a ring. On top of that, the money the Yankees offer isn't going to be turned down.
The kinds of pitchers that would avoid Yankee Stadium because they're afraid of what would happen to their ERAs are the very kind of pitchers we should want NOTHING to do with.
The kind of free agent pitchers I want on the Yankees would be pitchers that aren't deterred by the shape of the ballpark.
If pitching and defense win championships, then excessive HRs do become a problem.
Like Camden Yards with it short left field (364-moved in from 374 for Cal)free agent pitchers did not want to sign with Baltimore because it was/is a hitter's park. Same will be true in the future of Yankee Stadium. You need pitching to win.
To me the big problem is that the Yankees continue to stonwall the matter and refuse to admitt there is a problem with the demensions.
I still say they moved the 399 and 385 marks about 10 to 15 feet toward centerfield. While the field demension markers may technically be the same on the fence, the poweralley markers have been moved, thus making the power alleys shorter.
For once I wish the Yankee were honest with the fans and media about what is going on with this building. They continue to get caught with lie after lie about this building.
"The kinds of pitchers that would avoid Yankee Stadium because they're afraid of what would happen to their ERAs are the very kind of pitchers we should want NOTHING to do with.
The kind of free agent pitchers I want on the Yankees would be pitchers that aren't deterred by the shape of the ballpark."
Good pitchers are always concerned with their ERA's as well as wins.
The fact is that the ball leaves the yard way too easily. Broken bat balls fly out, pop flies fly out. This is supposed to be Yankee Stadium not Home Run Derby.
If hitting a ton of homers is so great, they should move the fences in another 100 feet and then everyone can either hit a homer or get an out.
I love the Stadium but it needs to be changed a bit and they will change it... no doubt. As for admitting the flaws, the Yanks just aren't going to do that. Nor should they. They will study it and fix it.
Until then, everyone plays with the same advantages and disadvantages.
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