A lot of people talk about ole Wrigley as being a hitter’s park because of the apparent ease of hitting balls out of a relatively small park. However, at one time, I used to know that Wrigley actually had the LONGEST foul lines (355’) of any of the parks. I know the power alleys are relatively short, but it’s not that easy to yank a shot down either line. So, is it still true about its foul lines, and if it is, isn’t it strange that the park has such a reputation? (seems like a perfect example of the fact that baseball players, not always considered to be the intellectual elite of professional athletes, may simply believe what they hear, and live up to that expectation - but, that’s probably a different thread.)
Wrigley Field used to be a hitter’s park, but since most of the newer stadiums have been made even more hitter-friendly that has changed Wrigley into a neutral park. Some notable exceptions to the trend to smaller new parks are in Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta.
Wrigley is 355 down the LF line and 353 down the RF line. The power alleys are only 368.
There is more than short fences that makes a park hitter-friendly. Wrigley has very little foul territory and that is a great aid to the batter. When you see a playoff game in Oakland, note the huge expanses of foul territory there. That makes a big difference.
It was also thought that Wrigley benefitted hitters because the prevailing winds were supposed to blow out, but in recent years the wind seems to be blowing in from the lake more frequently than out to the lake.
As noted earlier, Wrigley Field is no longer one of the smaller stadiums in baseball. It IS a great hitter’s park, but not NECESSARILY a great home run hitter’s park.
And ONE of the things that made it a great hitter’s park has disappeared: the absence of night games.
The winds, as BobT noted, are a mixed blessing at Wrigley Field. Though I have seen the Chicago winds turn routine pop flies into homers, I’ve also seen that there are long stretches of time when the ball just doesn’t carry at all!
In fact, one wonders if PART of the reason for the Cubs’ failures over the years is that erroneous belief that Wrigley Field is a home run hitter’s paradise. Has the Cubs’ management historically tried to load its lineup with power hitters, hoping to take advantage of the “tiny” confines of Wrigley Field? If so, that may have been a bad strategy.
I assume it is historical, but why does the distance need to get a home run (and other dimensions) vary from park to park?
There may be to preserve the charm of the place, but Lambeau Field has quite a bit a charm and has the same game important dimensions of every other football stadium (I think)
If baseball fields can determine home run dimensions, why not distance and angles between the bases? height of the pitching mound?
I’m not trying to offend any baseball fans, I’m seriously curious.
Brian
amazed that at least 3 70+ year records have fallen this year
Those things are the same in all ball parks. Each base is 90 foot from the one before and after it. Not exactly sure on the height of the mound but I think it’s like 10". Those things don’t change in ball parks. But things like length down the foul poles, power alleys, grass or astroturf, foul area, and indoor/outdoor can make a big difference in game play.
Baseball stadiums have never been the same size because they were laid out in cities and the builders had to use whatever land was available. This led to variations and even as newer stadiums were built on much bigger expanses of land that would eliminate the need to create different dimensions, teams still build parks with weird angles and dimensions.
In theory, the pitcher’s mound is 10" although some teams have been known to build them a bit higher (in particular Los Angeles).
Baseball rules mandate fixed dimensions for various things and also minimum dimensions. Distances between bases, for example, are fixed. Minimum distance for a homerun is 250 feet, or at least it used to be years ago. The Polo Grounds just made that with 252 ft down the right field line and 255 feet down the left field line, IIRC. It was very deep, however, to centerfield. IIRC, it was 480 ft.
So, when someone told me that was a ballpark figure, I’d reply if they were referring to the foul lines in the Polo Grounds or centerfield.
For the record, if they do build them higher than that it’s cheating, but they can build them lower. In fact, some pitching coaches teach how to pitch on a flat mound so it throws off the bigger power pitchers when they come to town.