Every baseball stadium is different. Technically, every stadium in every sport anywhere is different, but baseball is truly unique. While the dimensions of play are universal across other sports, the outfield wall can be situated at various lengths in Major League Baseball. Look no further than the 30 ballparks we have in MLB. And two of the game's most intriguing dimensional aspects happen to be in the AL East.
Yes, I am talking about the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium, both old and new, as well as the Pesky Pole in right field at Fenway Park. Since the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees cannot stand each other, their heated rivalry has contributed to the lore of their respective stadiums' outfield dimensions.
Outfield dimensions affect everything from home-field advantage, gameplay and strategy, and we're digging into these iconic features at two of baseball’s most historic parks.
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What is the short porch of Yankee Stadium and the Pesky Pole at Fenway Park?
The short porch refers to the shallow right-field wall at Yankee Stadium. At 314 feet from home plate, it happens to be one of the shortest distances in MLB.
At Fenway Park, the Pesky Pole stands out as one of MLB’s quirkiest features. At just 302 feet from home plate, it’s the shortest distance to a foul pole in the league. But thanks to a sharp curve in the right-field fence, many balls that seem like easy home runs actually end up in much deeper territory. The way the grandstands wrap around the pole also makes it jut visibly into the field, making it more prominent than any other foul pole in baseball.
Shorter distances in right field makes home runs easier for left-handed pull hitters, especially on balls that wouldn’t clear the fence otherwise.
A reason for some outfield wall anomalies is because many of these stadiums are more than a century old. We may have more modern stadiums across baseball, but Fenway Park in Boston is a relic, while New Yankee Stadium tries its best to offer the same level of charm its much more popular predecessor encapsulated for generations prior. It was built to be a near replica of the original venue.
What is so special about the short porch?
Admittedly, the short porch is not as recognizable as the Pesky Pole at Fenway. However, it may be the more historically impactful of the two features. The field dimensions are nearly identical from one Yankee Stadium to another, so let's go back to the House that Babe Ruth Built first. The shorter right field bleachers have everything to do with The Colossus of Clout.
It is only 314 feet to the right-field foul pole at Yankee Stadium. Because Ruth was a left-handed power hitter at the peak of his powers a century ago, it made sense for the Yankees to construct a stadium that could accentuate its greatest player's greatest attribute. The fact that their other megastar Lou Gehrig also batted left-handed was certainly part of why the short porch worked.
The short porch has long been a strategic advantage for the Yankees, who historically target lefty hitters.
What is so special about the Pesky Pole in right field at Fenway Park?
As for the Pesky Pole, it's a bit more sentimental. Its name pays respect to former Red Sox great and light-hitting shortstop Johnny Pesky. While he's not an MLB Hall of Famer, his No. 6 jersey is retired by the Red Sox for his playing and coaching career with the team.
In his playing career, Pesky hit only six career home runs at Fenway Park. And while he didn’t home often, he did benefit from that close right-field foul pole location, the shortest distance of any outfield configuration in MLB. The term had been in use since the 1950s, but became far more popular of a terminology from 1965 on because of former Red Sox pitcher and broadcaster Mel Parnell.
In Game 1 of the 2004 World Series, Mark Bellhorn hit what was the game-winning home run off the netting of the Pesky Pole. Nearly two years later, on Pesky's 87th birthday, the Red Sox officially dedicated the right-field foul pole to Pesky himself.
Outside of the Green Monster in left field, the Pesky Pole is the best known quirk with Fenway Park.
Why are these ballpark features so controversial?
Many stadiums in baseball have a shorter distance to the right-field foul pole than the one in left field. Because most people are right-handed, it has been a huge advantage to hit from the left-handed batter's box when facing a right-handed pitcher. This is because breaking balls break into the batter, as opposed to away from the hitter, to create a better chance of pulling one over the fence.
The Pesky Pole and short porch are part of Fenway and Yankee Stadium's quirky charms, but visiting teams can also exploit them.