gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) (07/24/85)
Three things I've wondered about for a while:
1. Are there any minimum or maximum dimensions for an official
major-league ballpark? Must the shape (I'm thinking of the
outfield walls--I'm sure the two lines at 90 degrees are
essential) be smooth or even convex? Is there some formal
certification procedure?
2. What's the record for the number of pitches thrown during
one official at-bat?
3. Warning--this one is really silly. I was trying to think of
what the inverse of hitting for the circuit would be, and
decided on flying out to each of the 9 positions (would take
a pretty long game). Has any player ever done this?
--
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..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***woods@hao.UUCP (Greg Woods) (08/07/85)
> 1. Are there any minimum or maximum dimensions for an official > major-league ballpark? Must the shape (I'm thinking of the > outfield walls--I'm sure the two lines at 90 degrees are > essential) be smooth or even convex? Is there some formal > certification procedure? Unless there are grandfather clauses, there is nothing in the regulations to say that a ballpark must be convex. Look at Fenway Park, in the right center field alley. Fenway is also a counter-example for a smoothness requirement, where the green monster meets the center field bleacher front in left center. As for length requirements, I believe there is a minimum distance requirement but that is all I know about. --Greg
bobm@hp-pcd.UUCP (bobm) (08/14/85)
According to Trivial Pursuit (an unimpeachable source, right?), since 1960 (??) the minimum distance to center field has been 400 feet. Bob May hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm
smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (08/15/85)
> 1. Are there any minimum or maximum dimensions for an official > major-league ballpark? Must the shape (I'm thinking of the > outfield walls--I'm sure the two lines at 90 degrees are > essential) be smooth or even convex? Is there some formal > certification procedure? I believe rules have changed since when I was a kid, but... At the time, a home run had to be over 250 feet, and no new park could be built with a lesser distance to the fence. In existing parks with less distances (of which I believe there were none...), balls hit over a fence of less than 250 feet were doubles. Since then, the minimum fence distance has been raised, I believe to ~325 feet, though without any oddball rules for fields with shorter distances. Deliberately shortening the distance -- remember Charley Finley's "Pennant Porch" -- is frowned upon; Finley in fact had to compromise and settle for a "Half Pennant Porch". (Of course, he then won several pennants in the more traditional way, i.e., building a good team, which he then utterly destroyed. But that's another story.)
mlt@mb2c.UUCP (Mark L. Tompkins) (08/16/85)
>.......................Since then, the minimum fence distance has been >raised, I believe to ~325 feet,........................................ The Kingdome in Seattle is only 316 feet down each line. The "Green Monster" in Fenway is only 315 feet at the foul pole, but I think it more than makes up for the short distance with its height of 43 feet. I remem- ber that Yankee Stadium down the right-field line was less than 300 feet before renovation (297?), and is only 310 now, but goes out quickly. The only distance I ever remember hearing was the aforementioned 250 feet. The rules would have to make exceptions for older ballparks ( anyone care to try and move the Monster?!? ), but I find it hard to believe that the Kingdome was built with those dimensions if the rules dictated otherwise. Maybe it's because the stadium was not originally built for baseball ( were the Seahawks around before 1977? I don't recall...). Anyone got a rulebook handy? Mark Tompkins
abgamble@water.UUCP (abgamble) (08/19/85)
> > According to Trivial Pursuit (an unimpeachable source, right?), > since 1960 (??) the minimum distance to center field has been > 400 feet. > > Bob May > hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm If you're refering to the All-Star Sports edition, there are several errors in it. For instance they claim that a badminton net is 8 feet high. I think they were confusing it with volleyball. -- Bruce Gamble - abgamble@water.UUCP
roy@hpmtla.UUCP (roy) (08/23/85)
>I remem- >ber that Yankee Stadium down the right-field line was less than 300 feet >before renovation (297?), and is only 310 now, but goes out quickly. Gee, let's start a petition to have an asterisk put next to Ruth's single season home run total in the record book... Roy