REPORT: NEW SIZE OF YANKEE STADIUM CAUSING HOME RUNS
POST STAFF REPORT
June 9, 2009 --
It's a small field, after all.
After claims that the dimensions of the new Yankee Stadium were identical to the old, AccuWeather.com reported today that slight differences in the new park are mainly responsible for the record number of home runs.
The weather Web site says, "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."
The report by meteorologist Tim Buckley says losing a "gentle curve" in the fence as it extends from right field to center field, caused by a new scoreboard, has the ballpark playing up to 9 feet shorter in spots. Combined with 2-foot-shorter wall heigths, it has caused the home-run surge.
The stadium is on pace to see 293 home runs, threatening the major-league record of 303 hit at Denver's Coors Field in its opening season of 1999.
It has generated criticism throughout the game, with ESPN's Peter Gammons last month saying the new stadium is "the biggest joke in baseball."
The dimensions posted on the fences of the new Stadium are identical to the old one: 314 feet down the right-field line; 385 to right-center; 408 to center field; 399 to left-center; and 314 down the left-field line.
Yankee Stadium established new records for home runs hit during an opening series, and saw 75 homers in its first 20 games (3.75 per game). The pace has slowed very slightly, with 30 in the past nine games (3.33 per game).
AccuWeather says, "no consistent pattern [has been] observed in the wind speed and direction that would lead to an increase in home runs so far this year."
The Associated Press says 63 of the 105 have been hit to right field. There have been 10 games with at least five home runs, including Monday night.
The Yankees have hit 57 home runs, their opponents 48, going 18-11 in the first 29 games there.