A Look at the New Yankee Stadium

What on earth is going on at the New Coors Field......err I mean the New Yankee Stadium? It was a great opening, getting to see 47 legends of past Yankee years join for the opening ceremonies. They had the original home plate and pitching rubber from the first game at Yankee Stadium. The bat Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run at the original Yankee Stadium was placed at home plate when Derek Jeter became the first Yankee to step to the plate in the new building. Everything was perfect. Then all hell broke loose.

The ball started jumping out of the yard at a record pace. Twenty home runs in four games? That's not normal even in a beer league slow pitch softball game. A couple routine fly balls turned into homers for both teams. Jeter even won a game when he got jammed and hit a fly ball that carried over the right field fence.

So what's the problem? Is it the stadium? The stadium has the exact same dimensions, but obviously the jet streams come in from a different direction. Fourteen of the twenty dingers went to right field. The right field still has the same short porch, but it was made to look easy in the opening series against the Indians. If you think it's bad now, just wait til it gets warmer and the ball starts to carry better. If it is the stadium, what kind of effect will that have on upcoming off seasons? I can't imagine many pitchers wanting to come to New York if it will inflate their ERA, no matter what the price tag is.

If you aren't convinced in the stadium, could it be the Yankees pitching? Well that definitely has something to do with it. Chin Meng-Wang has been awful, but he has been the same awful pitcher on the road as well. Other Yankee pitchers have given up the long ball so get off Wang's back for the moment. Although one would thing he would have success pitching in between Sabathia and Burnett. Putting the ground ball machine in between two power pitchers should benefit Wang once he figures things out.

Or this could all just be a coincidence. One bad series. Things weren't so bad for the men in pinstripes. They split the series Some guys will love the ball park. I feel it's perfect for a guy like Mark Texierra and Jorge Posada is taking ownership of the place after hitting a couple dingers himself.

Look, it is what it is. They are gonna have to play in the ball park all season, so everyone must adjust. That includes not only the hitters and pitchers, but the fans as well. Get ready to see a lot of football type scores in the New Yankee Stadium. If the pitchers can start keeping a majority of balls in the ball park (as I'm writing this, light hitting Kurt Susuki just went yard for Oakland. His first HR since last August), then the Yanks will be fine. It will be interesting to see how the park plays in August and September. It could be a blessing to the Yanks that the first series with the Red Sox is in Fenway instead of the Bronx this weekend. Otherwise, the scores would look more like a video game instead of a baseball game.