Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Mets need to lower Citi Field's fences

It's good news that the Mets are close to signing Jason Bay. Now the team needs to lower CitiField's outfield fences. In Shea Stadium, the entire outfield fence measured only eight feet height; whereas, at Citi Field, a USA Today article reported that "the outfield walls change height seven times;" at their highest point, they're 16 feet height.

With regard to Citi Field's dimensions, according to a New York Times article:
The left-field foul pole stands a relatively enticing 335 feet from home plate, but the distance to left-center jumps to 379 with a 15-foot wall. A 16-foot wall guards a sliver of straightaway center, which is 408 feet away, and right-center field measures 383 feet before angling in to 330 down the right-field line. The deepest part of the park, a nook in right-center, is 414 feet from home.
In comparison, the Times article reported that Shea Stadium, the Mets former home, "had a symmetrical outfield, where center field was 410 feet from home plate, the gaps were 378 feet and the left- and right-field lines measured 338."

For right-handed batters like Wright and Bay, the fact that the height of the left-center fence is 15 feet is not good news. Hopefully, before the 2010 season begins,  the Mets will have enough sense to lower that fence's height.

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