So the Yankees get blasted twice by the Indians in two of their four games at the new Yankee Stadium and already analysts are going mad trying to account for all the home runs being hit. They say the ball is carrying to right field and use the stats that 14 of the 20 home runs hit in the series went out that direction as evidence support the argument. I guess they’re discounting the fact that Grady Sizemore, Shin Soo Choo, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Mark Teixeira, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Nick Swisher are all powerful bats who happen to hit from the left side of the plate.
I guess when they’re examining the data and freaking out, they’re overlooking the fact that Cy Young winners like C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee combined to pitch 11.2 innings and allowed only one home run. I guess they’re ignoring the “who” aspect of the pitchers otherwise they’d realize it’s the likes of Anthony Reyes, Damaso Marte, and stiffs like Edwar Ramirez and Andrew Claggett (who’s already been sent back down to the minors) that got bombed on. Seriously, how much can the wind account for home runs if Carl Pavano went six innings without allowing a homer? And last time I checked, Chien-Ming Wang got blasted equally as badly as he did by the Indians at home as he did by the Orioles and Rays on the road in his first two starts. Oh yeah, but it’s all about the new Yankee Stadium. Coors Field East. Uh-huh.
Even if this were a factor, I’d hope people would wait longer than four games to draw a conclusion or even start speculating. Besides, the right field line at Yankee Stadium has always been short. Add a few good left-handed bats to the lineup and you should expect more home runs to right. Common sense.
