Looks like the rest did us good.

[gridlore]

San Francisco Giants: 8
Colorado Rockies: 0

Barry Zito looks good in getting his first win in a Giants uniform. Do y'all know how hard it is to get a shutout at the Rockies' home field? The place is a mile high (there is a purple line of seats in the upper deck.. that is literally the point where you are one mile above sea level. Balls that would be doubles most other places land in the parking lot. Since 1995, there have only been 14 previous goose eggs. (and only one game that ended in regulation 1-0.)

More amazingly, our bullpen held onto the shutout.

Comments

[netquiddler.livejournal.com]

Doug, not only would balls that would be off the wall in other parks be over the wall in Coors, but because they built the fences further back to compensate, the outfielders have more room to cover, meaning balls that would normally be caught turn into hits. No wonder the place doesn't have shutouts.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Coors Field: Left field: 347 feet; left-center: 390 feet; center field: 415 feet; right-center: 375 feet; right field: 350 feet

AT&T Park: Left field: 339 feet; left-center: 364 feet; center field: 399 feet; right-center: 421 feet; right field: 309 feet

Coors is longer on the foul lines, but shallow. We're deeper to center (with triples alley in right-center) and don't forget the Willie Mays Wall in right field, 24 feet tall with multiple surfaces (brick, metal, padding, chain link and wood) and multiple angles to send balls spinning off in odd directions.

So Coors is harder for hitters who pull their power swings, while more forgiving to those who can muscle through. AT&T favors hitters who hit to the corners (although lefties need real power to get one over the wall.)

[netquiddler.livejournal.com]

Ah. What I was noting is that Coors Field is in fact deeper over most of the park. I've provided a mock-up of the fences at AT&T and Coors for a comparison (the orange line is the fence at AT&T and the purple line, the fence at Coors).



What the added dimensions do is increase singles and doubles, simply because there's more real estate for the outfielders to patrol -- they will naturally play deeper to compensate, which means short liners that would normally be caught end up falling in for hits. That boosts the run numbers far more than home runs do.

On a topic having nothing to do with that boring ball-and-stick game...

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you read DM of the Rings, but this strip reminded me of you. The connection should be obvious...

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1080