Anthony Volpe exposed clear Red Sox short porch bias with one swing

Are we really still having this argument? Every MLB ballpark has its quirks, some of which help the home team considering they play 81 games there per season. For the New York Yankees, that comes in the form of the short porch. The lower level of right field at Yankee Stadium – specifically near the foul pole – juts out to favor the offensive team. The term 'short porch' is an exaggeration of the advantage the Yankees or any other team really receive in the Bronx. The wall is a mere 314 feet from home plate, and every now and then a home run will be hit that would've only left the park at Yankee Stadium. Those times are few and far between, however.

On Tuesday night, Anthony Volpe hit a home run in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series which exposed the bias of these so-called short porch arguments. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of these cries are coming from one corner of the internet – Boston Red Sox fans.

Volpe's home run, which came off Red Sox left-handed ace Garrett Crochet, went over the short porch and landed about 15-20 rows deep in right field. This didn't stop Boston fans from complaining about Yankee Stadium's not-so-hidden advantage. Yet, upon further review, Volpe's home run would've cleared the fence in all but one ballpark – and not the one you might expect.

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Red Sox fans must stop complaining about the short porch, please

Boston fans have little room to complain about the short porch considering their own ballpark, the world-renowned Fenway Park, has its own quirks, which includes the Pesky Pole. That pole, which resides down the right-field line, is only 302 feet from home plate, which is the shortest distance from home plate in the majors.

While Red Sox fans may believe they have a right to poke fun at the Yankee Stadium short porch, it turns out the feature impacts them more than most teams. Just take Volpe's home run as an example: That blast would've been over the fence in 29/30 ballparks. Any guess as to the one fence it wouldn't have cleared?

Sometimes, the narratives write themselves.

The short porch and Pesky Pole are part of what makes baseball great

Let me stand on my soapbox so you all can hear me loud and clear: I am in favor of homefield advantages, as long as they aren't too egregious. Can you imagine if Fenway Park or Wrigley Field were build today? Ivy on the wall would be deemed a health hazard, and the Green Monster unsuitable for regular season games. Rather than worry about those bizarre features, we've grown to love them.

I am not going to say the short porch will age as well, but teams should do everything in their power to win games at home. Baseball is a game won in the margins, if try to take away any competitive advantage, we risk losing the benefit of homefield altogether.