No Major League ballparks are exactly alike, but certain aspects of the field of play must be uniform across baseball. The infield must be a square that is 90 feet on each side, and the outfield is the area between the two foul lines formed by extending two sides of said square though the dirt portion of the field that runs well past the foot basepaths in all Major League parks is also commonly referred to as the infield.
The field must be constructed so that the bases are the same level as home plate. The rulebook states that parks constructed by professional teams after June 1, , must have a minimum distance of feet between home plate and the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on the right- and left-field foul lines, and feet between home plate and the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction in center field. However, some clubs have been permitted to construct parks after that date with dimensions shorter than those specified.
The pitcher's plate must be a inch by 6-inch slab of whitened rubber that is 10 inches above the level of home plate and 60 feet, 6 inches away from the back point of home plate. It is placed 18 inches behind the center of the mound -- which is erected within an foot diameter circle -- and surrounded by a level area that is 5 feet by 34 inches. Taken together, these things have a profound impact on the game we love. The Polo Grounds in New York was feet down the line in right but feet to center.
The centerfield boundary at the original Yankee Stadium was nearly feet from home, with a flagpole and three memorial monuments in play. A big thank you is owed to thirty81project. Measurements, in feet L-R, dead center in bold : , , , , Kansas City and Toronto are the only two stadiums in MLB with symmetrical outfield dimensions and uniform wall height. The Jays will open the season playing at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla. The stadium underwent a significant renovation before the season, which included lowering the height of the leftfield fence.
The current layout is a bit like a mirror image of Target Field in Minneapolis. It features a deep power alley in left-center and a tall fence in right. When the multipurpose Busch Stadium II was replaced by the current ballpark, the Cardinals only changed the dimensions minimally.
Measurements, in feet L-R, dead center in bold : , , , , , , Built in , Dodger Stadium looks a lot like Kauffman, but the Chavez Ravine park gets a few bonus points for its low walls four feet in the corners that allow for some spectacular home run robberies. The Coliseum is the most charmless stadium in all of baseball. That outfield, though, does have some charm. One of the peculiarities of the multipurpose stadium is the retractable seating that causes the walls in left- and right-center to rise to 15 feet.
Removing the wacky home run sculpture in centerfield diminished the charm of Marlins Park in more ways than one. The psychedelic, animatronic work of art was taken down before the season but the outfield fence still curved around its former home.
For the season, the centerfield wall was brought in to erase any memory of what once stood there. The distances are nearly symmetrical but the fences meet at some unexpected angles, which at least adds some uncertainty to balls hit off the wall. Specifically, a cavernous left-centerfield power alley allowed more doubles and way more triples to righthanded batters than to lefties.
Left-center is still roomier than right-center, though, and so righties still pick up significantly more triples. Citi Field is a monument to doing too much with a modern outfield wall. It also boasted some very tall fences. Only three years later, after the stadium proved too difficult to hit home runs in, the fences were moved in and made eight feet tall.
Three years later, another renovation brought the fence in right-center in by 10 feet. The result is a fairly standard ballfield. The corners are shallow and the walls in left and right are straight, rather than curved, keeping the power alleys from reaching too far back. Where the park loses points, though, is with its catwalks. Leftfield is slightly deeper than right but the wall in right is 16 feet high. Comerica Park opened in , and three seasons later the fences were amended, starting with Notable change : Moved the left-center field fence in from feet to feet.
To put those numbers in context, in —the last season prior to the changes—there were homers hit in 80 games at Comerica, with 61 by both the Tigers and opponents. In ? There were homers hit overall in 81 games, 67 by Detroit and 95 by the opposition. Citi Field opened in , and again, three seasons later the fences came in, starting with Notable changes : "Moved in portions of the outfield wall at Citi Field as much as 12 feet and lowered the height of the home run line to 8 feet throughout the outfield," according to the New York Mets' official site.
For context, in —the last season prior to the changes—there were homers hit in 81 games at Citi Field, with 50 by the Mets and 58 by opponents. There were homers hit overall, 67 by New York and 88 by the opposition. Petco Park opened in , and the distances were changed starting with the season. Notable changes : "In right-center, the wall moved from feet to feet. The wall also was lowered to match the height of the sub-eight-foot wall in left and center field.
To put those numbers in context, in —the last season prior to the changes—there were homers hit in 81 games at Petco, with 47 by the Padres and 62 by opponents. In so far?
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