Mariners home park to become more hitter-friendly in 2013
Posted October 2, 2012 7:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SEATTLE, WA (NEWS1130) – After being known as one of the toughest ballparks to hit in since it opened in 2009, Safeco Field will undergo some changes for the 2013 MLB season that should provide an increase in home runs.
The Seattle Mariners have announced that the outfield fences will be moved in following the end of the major league season, decreasing the size of one of the more spacious outfields in the league.
The biggest movement will be on the left-centre field alley. The fence will be moved in as much as 17 feet. The power alley in left-centre will go from 390 feet to 378, and from there will go straight to the deepest part of the park, which is 405 feet, four feet shorter than the current deepest point.
There will also be a significant change in the left-field corner. The hand-operated scoreboard will be removed from the wall, dropping its height from 16 to eight feet. The scoreboard will be moved to an undetermined location.
The Mariners have had some of the worst offensive numbers in the MLB since the field opened. The 2000 season was the first full year for the Mariners at the park and since that time Seattle has scored the fewest runs and has the lowest batting average of any team in the American League.
Mariners’ General Manager Jack Zduriencik says the reasoning for the switch is to make the park more balanced for offence and defence.
“Our goal was to create an atmosphere here that wouldn’t punish pitching but also make it a fair ballpark,” Zduriencik said. “The dimensions the committee came up with and recommended are the dimensions that will accomplish that goal. We think the park will play fair.”
These will be the first changes to the dimensions of the park since it opened.
