by Zach Wild

Created on: November 11, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

A baseball park's effects on hitting can have an immediate impact as early as the first pitch. If you're in a pitchers park (a park that is either extremely large, tailors its dimensions to pitching for the team or environment that doesn't allow the ball to fly well) a fly ball is just an out. If you're in a hitter's park (one with small dimensions, especially down the lines, where the ball travels very well or where the environment or location allows the ball to travel more freely), that fly ball may very well be a home run.

The difference between Citizen Bank's park in Philly and Dodger Stadium in L.A. is huge. The park in L.A. has bigger dimensions especially down the line and the ball doesn't travel well there. This is also because lately the Dodgers team has been built more on pitching and small ball; moving the runners from base to base, sacrificing them over and getting clutch hits. This park allows the Dodgers to play to their strengths as a team and gain a more significant home park advantage. Citizen Bank Park is very small down the lines and the ball travels very well there. This is also tailored to the Phillies team. With Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell you want to get as many chances at home runs as possible, as such the ballpark is tailored to take major advantage if their best attributes, power hitting.

Other things about a park can also effect hitting. The type of surface you play on, grass or turf. If you play in a dome, open-air stadium or one with a retractable roof. The amount of foul ground you have on each side of the lines. Astroturf speeds up the ball, but you also get more true hops and less funny bounces than on a regular field. The can lead to more hits, or more outs depending on which team your on. Many players are more comfortable in a dome as their home park and one of the biggest home-field advantages is for the Minnesota Twins. The top of their stadium is all white, and many players who have rarely played there lose the ball completely on routine pop-ups and fly balls. The amount of foul ground also effects hitting. In Oakland, there is a enormous amount of foul territory before the stands which allows fielders to make plays and outs on balls that would normally be in the stands. This also works for stadiums with little or no foul ground. In Boston for example ,Fenway Park has little to no foul ground down either line which amounts to a much higher total of foul balls than in Oakland. All those extra strikes can add up to extra hits and even home runs and RBI's for many hitters.

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