Forbes Field

[Curt]

Did anyone catch Bill Mazeroski on last night's telecast talking about his walk-off homer in 1960 game 7? He said the fence was about 410 feet where he hit it which looked to be straight-left to left-center. I just looked up Forbes Field in Wikipedia:

 

Left Field—360 feet (110 m)

Deepest corner—462 feet (141 m)

Center Field—442 feet (135 m)

Right Field—376 feet (115 m)

 

Cripes! If the batters are bigger and stronger now (they certainly are bigger) and the pitchers throw harder (think back to high school physics) why do we need smaller parks?

[nicksaviking]

People talk about the lack of consistancy in ballparks these days but it's always been like that. Roberto Clemente got robbed playing in Forbes, but someone like Duke Snider gets top 50 all-time consideration because the left handed hitter played in Ebbets Field. Check out those demensions:

 

Left field: 348 ft.

left-center: 351 ft

Center field: 384 ft.

Right-center: 344 ft.

Right field: 297 ft.

 

Check out his stats after the Dodgers moved to LA and people can see how much a ballpark plays with our perceptions of all time great sluggers. Mel Ott got to 500 HR because right field at the Polo Grounds was 258 ft, I think some infield fly rules get called at that depth!

[Brock Beauchamp]

People talk about the lack of consistancy in ballparks these days but it's always been like that. Roberto Clemente got robbed playing in Forbes, but someone like Duke Snider gets top 50 all-time consideration because the left handed hitter played in Ebbets Field. Check out those demensions:

 

Left field: 348 ft.

left-center: 351 ft

Center field: 384 ft.

Right-center: 344 ft.

Right field: 297 ft.

 

Check out his stats after the Dodgers moved to LA and people can see how much a ballpark plays with our perceptions of all time great sluggers. Mel Ott got to 500 HR because right field at the Polo Grounds was 258 ft.

Good points all around but in all fairness to Snyder, it wasn't only Dodger Stadium that did him in... His OPS was still very good after the move, ranging between .850-.950. It was his knee and partial seasons after the team moved to LA that did the most damage to the end of his career. I don't think he played anything close to a full season after the Dodgers moved to LA.

 

Also, Snyder had a career OPS+ ten points higher than Clemente. Sure, Forbes was rough on Clemente but as a hitter, he wasn't *quite* on the level of Snyder. Close, though. The tragic thing about Clemente is that he was still going strong at 37 when he died.