Hamilton’s home run just barely got out of Yankee Stadium, a by-product of a short right-field fence.
The Red Sox hinted on Tuesday to bringing their right-field fence in, a move that would shorten the
distance six to 10 feet.
It may not factor in to be a huge change — the change of length won’t be so drastic that it will liken Fenway to the short porch in Yankee Stadium. At Fenway, that right field fence stands 380 feet from home plate currently.
Down the line at Yankee Stadium is currently 318 feet. Making matters worse is how long it takes for the fence to jet out in the right-center power alleys which still only stands 385 feet from the plate. The dimensions are short, almost frustratingly.
“It was a pop-up, but what are you going to do?” Toronto pitcher Jesse Carlson asked reporters after giving up a relatively cheap home run to the Yankees. “It went out. It wasn’t really a bad pitch … I thought it was a routine fly ball, but in this park, it’s a home run … it’s frustrating but what are you going to do?”
The change in Fenway won’t have pitchers questioning the meaning of life following an outing, but it should have some affect on the way the game is played at the 100-year-old park.
For starters, it will definitely increase the number of home runs. How drastic that increase may be is yet to be seen, obviously, but countless balls are killed every summer on the warning track in front of the bullpen.
The biggest difference may be seen early on the season when balls pounded to right by lefty sluggers like David Ortiz are killed by early-season winds. When the weather warms up and the wind starts blowing out, it will only push the ball more.
The Red Sox offense, notoriously strong at home, will benefit from playing 81 games a season there. Their pitching, however, may not, especially as it is currently constituted.
The Sox are right-handed-heavy when it comes to starting pitching. Therefore, just by basic baseball strategy, teams will load up on left-handed bats. With a shorter porch in right, that will only be magnified.
The advantage that right-handed pitchers have over lefties may be neutralized some with the change. The move doesn’t necessarily mean good news or bad news for lefties like Jon Lester who already have to deal with right-handed-heavy lineups ready to tee off with the Green Monster looming in left.
If the change goes through, it will, in some way, affect the way baseball is played at Fenway Park next summer. Will that change help or hurt the Red Sox?
Will moving in right-field fence help or hurt the Red Sox?customer surveys
