New/old ballpark dimensions

[bulldogbats]

I think one of the biggest lies is that these "retro" ballparks are anything like the classic old ballparks. They keep making them smaller so more homeruns are hit.

Some of the old parks may have been short down the foul lines, but other than that, were much larger. That's part of the reason you almost never see inside the park home runs.

The new parks also put in crazy things just to be unusual, like the hill in Houston. Duffy's Cliff (original design of Fenway's left field) was a natural slope, and the hump in another park (I think it was the Baker Bowl, but I'm not certain) was because there was a railroad going underneath. The unusual dimensions in some parks were only because that was the only way they could fit it on the plot of land.

[placount]

I think one of the biggest lies is that these "retro" ballparks are anything like the classic old ballparks. They keep making them smaller so more homeruns are hit.

Some of the old parks may have been short down the foul lines, but other than that, were much larger. That's part of the reason you almost never see inside the park home runs.

The new parks also put in crazy things just to be unusual, like the hill in Houston. Duffy's Cliff (original design of Fenway's left field) was a natural slope, and the hump in another park (I think it was the Baker Bowl, but I'm not certain) was because there was a railroad going underneath. The unusual dimensions in some parks were only because that was the only way they could fit it on the plot of land.

yea... what are you trying to get at here? do you like or dislike the old ones as opposed to the new ones?

[Lafferty Daniel]

I believe that most of the new National League parks have smaller dimensions to make up for pitchers hitting.

[Seattle1]

As they say: move all the fences back 10 feet and let's start playing some real baseball!

;)

[Lafferty Daniel]

As they say: move all the fences back 10 feet and let's start playing some real baseball!

;)

I really don't think every stadium needs to have the fences moved back. I love a good pitching dual, but I've also seen way too many 2-1, 3-2 games at Dodger Stadium this season.

GABP in Cincy is a different story. A Reds player recently said that he didn't like hitting at GABP because it was too tempting to hit the long ball, which messed up his swing. I can't remember who that player was, but I can see where he is coming from.

[bulldogbats]

Placount, I love the older stadiums (I've visited Tiger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway, and Yankee Stadium). Just because something is newer doesn't mean it is better.

These new parks are changing the game for the worse, while trying to give the illusion that this is how it used to be. Boston and Chicago have the right idea.

[Yankeefan90]

Placount, I love the older stadiums (I've visited Tiger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway, and Yankee Stadium). Just because something is newer doesn't mean it is better.

These new parks are changing the game for the worse, while trying to give the illusion that this is how it used to be. Boston and Chicago have the right idea.

You're right newer isn't always better, but older isn't always better either. Fenway has a very shallow LF, not just down the line but the whole LF. RF in Fenways isn't that deep either. The deepest part of Fenway is CF, which is 420, the same distance to CF in At&t Park. Alot of the newer ballparks could go alittle deeper by about another 10 ft or so, but other than that I don't think there is anything wrong with the field. And like Lafferty Daniels wrote, then baseball would have too many 2-1 or 3-2 scores. If you said that baseball should push the fences back by like 5-10ft then I'm in agreement, if you want the fences to be pushed back to 450-490ft then you're out of your mind.

[Sean O]

RF in Fenways isn't that deep either.

?????

Fenway has one of the deepest RFs in history. Currently, only Coors Field is deeper, and that's at a much higher altitude. Almost all of Fenway's RF is deeper than Petco.

The deepest corner of Fenway's RF would be physically outside of the Polo Grounds and Sportsman's Park.

[Yankeefan90]

?????

Fenway has one of the deepest RFs in history. Currently, only Coors Field is deeper, and that's at a much higher altitude. Almost all of Fenway's RF is deeper than Petco.

The deepest corner of Fenway's RF would be physically outside of the Polo Grounds and Sportsman's Park.

I don't know the exact feet of the RF at Fenway, but it looks pretty shallow on TV. Maybe Big Papi just makes it look easy. I haven't been to Fenway so I haven't seen it in person, I stand corrected, I'm sorry.

[Sean O]

I don't know the exact feet of the RF at Fenway, but it looks pretty shallow on TV. Maybe Big Papi just makes it look easy. I haven't been to Fenway so I haven't seen it in person, I stand corrected, I'm sorry.

No problem brother. Take a look at:

http://andrewclem.com/Baseball/Side-by-side.html

It's most excellent.

[Seattle1]

http://andrewclem.com/Baseball/Side-by-side.html

That's a cool website! I've never seen that before!


:twocents:

[SBBL]

That's a cool website! I've never seen that before!



Ditto. Thanks.

[Elvis]

?????

Fenway has one of the deepest RFs in history.

I never thought about it that way, Sean, but you're right. The only ballpark in the modern era that had a deeper RF corner as far as I can tell would be the original version of Braves Field, ironically in the same city :

http://andrewclem.com/Baseball/Diag/BravesField1915.gif

[Sean O]

I never thought about it that way, Sean, but you're right. The only ballpark in the modern era that had a deeper RF corner as far as I can tell would be the original version of Braves Field, ironically in the same city :

http://andrewclem.com/Baseball/Diag/BravesField1915.gif

I wrote an article a few months ago about how the ballparks have affected the Yankees and Red Sox over the years:

http://2-9-6.blogspot.com/2007/06/leveraging-ballparks.html

Nothing in-depth, but I feel something worth considering.

As for its relative depth, Braves Field, Mile High (but only barely, and with the altitude it plays much shorter) and parts of Comerica. There were also probably deeper RFs in pre-renovation parks like Comiskey and Tiger Stadium, but not by a lot.

And, fun fact, the deep RF corner would be in the water at Pacbell.

[Astros]

In the MLB rulle rule book under section 1.00 Objectives of the Game, is a great side note to section 1.04 THE PLAYING FIELD.

"NOTE: (a) Any Playing Field constructed by a professional club after June 1, 1958, shall provide a minimum distnce of 325 feet from home base to the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on the right and left field foul lines, and a minimum distance of 400 feet to the center field fence. (b) No exisiting playing field shall be remodeled after June 1, 1958, in such manner as to reduce the distance from home base to the foul poles and to the center field fence below the minimum specified in paragraph (a) above."

Now I realize that most of that information is probably well known amongst most of us here. However, it is clearly stated that there are minimum requirements that all clubs have to make, regardless of what the outfield of the ballpark looks like. All teams start on an even playing field. In the case of Minute Maid Park, the 315 feet left field measurement was approved because the Crawford Boxes sit atop a 19 1/2 wall bringing the minimum required distance to hit a homer to the front row in the closest corner ot the left field wall to at least 325 feet. This would hold the same for any other newer ballpark recently built. Stadiums such as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park or Wrigley Field are grandfathered in which is why Yankee Stadium continued to have a shorter right field porch (which many never discuss as a "band box" type area of that field).

And before someone points out that some of the new ballparks feature dumb quirks like Tal's Hill in centerfield...since Minute Maid Park opened in 2000 there have not been too many balls even hit on that hill compared to the average deep fly balls hit. The base of the hill (where the warning track meets the grass on the hill) is is approximately 415 feet from home plate. However, most of the balls that have been hit there have had great catches made on them without any injuries. To anyone that doesn't know, Tal's Hill simply pays homage to Crosley Field where Tal Smith got his first job in baseball. It is to honor the past, not make it seem like it is a new quirk for our ballpark.

[Elvis]

In the MLB rulle rule book under section 1.00 Objectives of the Game, is a great side note to section 1.04 THE PLAYING FIELD.

"NOTE: (a) Any Playing Field constructed by a professional club after June 1, 1958, shall provide a minimum distnce of 325 feet from home base to the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on the right and left field foul lines, and a minimum distance of 400 feet to the center field fence. (b) No exisiting playing field shall be remodeled after June 1, 1958, in such manner as to reduce the distance from home base to the foul poles and to the center field fence below the minimum specified in paragraph (a) above."

Now I realize that most of that information is probably well known amongst most of us here. However, it is clearly stated that there are minimum requirements that all clubs have to make, regardless of what the outfield of the ballpark looks like. All teams start on an even playing field. In the case of Minute Maid Park, the 315 feet left field measurement was approved because the Crawford Boxes sit atop a 19 1/2 wall bringing the minimum required distance to hit a homer to the front row in the closest corner ot the left field wall to at least 325 feet. This would hold the same for any other newer ballpark recently built. Stadiums such as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park or Wrigley Field are grandfathered in which is why Yankee Stadium continued to have a shorter right field porch (which many never discuss as a "band box" type area of that field).

And before someone points out that some of the new ballparks feature dumb quirks like Tal's Hill in centerfield...since Minute Maid Park opened in 2000 there have not been too many balls even hit on that hill compared to the average deep fly balls hit. The base of the hill (where the warning track meets the grass on the hill) is is approximately 415 feet from home plate. However, most of the balls that have been hit there have had great catches made on them without any injuries. To anyone that doesn't know, Tal's Hill simply pays homage to Crosley Field where Tal Smith got his first job in baseball. It is to honor the past, not make it seem like it is a new quirk for our ballpark.

I still don't buy the validity of this "rule", and any evidence of MLB still enforcing it . Many ballparks have CF distances shorter than 400 ft without having a higher wall to make up for it. Also, why, if this were a real rule, would Dodger Stadium, for example, be allowed to be remodeled to a CF distance of 395 ft.? And why would Tropicana Field be allowed to have 315 ft foul lines? They don't have higher walls to "offset" it, and the original version of the Suncoast dome had longer foul lines, so it wasn't necessary to have them that short.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I think one of the biggest lies is that these "retro" ballparks are anything like the classic old ballparks. They keep making them smaller so more homeruns are hit.

Some of the old parks may have been short down the foul lines, but other than that, were much larger. That's part of the reason you almost never see inside the park home runs.

The new parks also put in crazy things just to be unusual, like the hill in Houston. Duffy's Cliff (original design of Fenway's left field) was a natural slope, and the hump in another park (I think it was the Baker Bowl, but I'm not certain) was because there was a railroad going underneath. The unusual dimensions in some parks were only because that was the only way they could fit it on the plot of land.



Parks down the lines back then and in recent years. About the same down the lines. Older parks much deeper in CF, average 40+ feet deeper in center field.

All the talk about Ruth and the "short porch" in right field. I wonder how many home runs he lost in NY with that 487 feet to CF at Yankee Stadium.

Imagine many of the tape measure jobs we see on ESPN highlights to center field. In the 1920s many would not even reach the bleachers in Yankee Stadium.