Quote:
Originally Posted by jg2977
I always thought that it was way too easy to hit home runs to left field at Camden. Maybe they did it to try to attract better pitchers to sign with them?
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It’s funny, because in 1989, if my memory serves, when they broke ground on camden yards, they were doing wind tunnel tests to see how the ball would fly. Based on the tests results and based on his survey of the area, Frank Robinson himself (The manager of the Orioles at the time) said it was shaping up to be more of a doubles ballpark. Many fans were concerned about this, but Robinson said he thought it was a good thing, so they were planning it with that in mind. And without digging up the stats, I do remember it being more of a doubles park during the initial few years. (Although, correct me if I’m wrong)
And then… The players started eating performance-enhancing drugs for breakfast, the ball got juicier, and all of a sudden it became a launching pad. The trend continued when baseball became a sabr-metric launch angle, all or nothing home run derby.