Mr. Steinbrenner, tear down these Walls!

Hat tip to TM at JustOneMinute...

From the good folks at Accuweather we learn that the Law of Unintended Consequences appears to extend to large construction projects:

As it turns out, walls, not weather, have been homer helpers for 19 percent of the home runs thus far in the new Yankee Stadium.

The difference is in the dimensions. For someone attending a game at the new Yankee Stadium, or watching on TV, the size of the playing field appears to be the same. The dimensions at select corners of the field are identical - and the posted numbers on the walls reflect that. However, comparing schematics and aerial photos of the parks reveal some nuances that have significant implications.

...Taking into account the dimensions of the field, wall height, and the eventual landing zone of the home runs hit to right field, AccuWeather.com has calculated that 19 percent (an estimated 20 out of 105) of the home runs would not have flown out of the old stadium. If the first 29 games are any indication, 293 home runs will be hit by the end of the year at the new Yankee Stadium, just short of the record of 303 home runs hit at Denver's Coors Field in 1999. If this is the case, as many as 56 home runs could be attributed to the size of the new playing field.

Though not a perfect analogy, it reminds me of the 90's when all of us were perplexed at the increase in HR's across MLB and left wondering if the ball was juiced. As per usual, the answer is most often right in front of your face...it was the sluggers that were juiced. Who knew!

So it's the stadium and not the pitching...go figure! Though I can't help but think that RichatUF has a point. Better pitching would help.