Thurm: Does Marlins Park suppress home runs after all?
From SABR member Wendy Thurm at Baseball Nation on September 10, 2012, with mention of Alan Nathan:
Remember back on Opening Day, when the Marlins hosted the St. Louis Cardinals for the first official game at Marlins Ballpark? Well, technically, it wasn’t Opening Day. It was the Night Before Opening Day Just So the Marlins Could Kick Off the Season in Their New Ballpark. Seriously, that was the official name. You can look it up.
You done? Good.
You remember that Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Reyes and Logan Morrison hit loud balls deep into the outfield that seemed to just die? And immediately after the game, the hand-wringing began? “The outfield is too big.” “The Marlins will have to bring in the fences.” “How could they do this to Giancarlo”? And you remember that I wrote a story here at Baseball Nation that said, essentially, “Calm down, everyone. Ballparks don’t always play the same way over the season as they play on Opening Day or in the opening series. We have to wait and see”?
Welp.
With the first season of Marlins Ballpark nearly over, it has been the third-toughest ballpark in the National League in which to hit a home run this season. The toughest is AT&T Park. The second toughest is Petco Park. And then there’s Marlins Ballpark.
Read the full article here: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/9/9/3301845/marlins-park-home-runs-park-effects
Originally published: September 10, 2012. Last Updated: September 10, 2012.