Craziest MLB Stadium Dimensions

[@DCLocal84]

The reason the warning track at old Yankee (before they started gradually moving in the fences) looked like a running track was because it was. It was .25 miles (granted, oddly shaped).They wanted to be able to hold multiple events there, including races. It was, in some ways, the first baseball stadium built with multipurposes considered in the design.

[@TheBatugan77]

The original YS was massive. There was grass BEHIND the warning track... Which, as you said, was an actual track.

[@adanalyst6925]

Polo Grounds looks pretty ready to hold football games (and Polo??). The weirdness of these stadiums makes me realize that lots of people must have seen some of the “cookie cutter” multipurpose stadiums 🏟️ as a big improvement over some of the weird ones.

[@DCLocal84]

@AdAnalyst so you are not wrong. The Polo Grounds and its various earlier iterations were all designed with sports other than baseball in mind. However, that is why I tried to word my statement carefully. Yankee Stadium was (maybe) the first "baseball" first stadium designed for multi-sport use, whereas the pologrounds was not initially designed as a baseball first park. As to your second point, I remember when I was younger when many multipurpose stadiums were still in use (think kingdome, three rivers, riverfront, Shea, metrodome, astrodome, candlestick, The Big A pre 98 renovations, the vet, County Stadium (Milwaukee), etc), that the older generation seemed very nostalgic about the ballparks they once had. Though they also had some fondness for seeing in their lifetime the revolutionary architecture associated with domes. Even the (then) Skydome was looked at with aww by some of them because of its retractable roof and centerfield hotel. That said, it seemed, at least by that point, that whatever novelty existed with the multipurpose boom of the '60s had worn off. All of this is anecdotal of course, and I cannot say for sure what their opinions were when these stadiums came to fruition. What I largely remember is so many of them saying, "The old parks were better and had real dimensions."

[@adanalyst6925]

@@DCLocal84 that makes sense. Astrodome for example probably wasn’t the greatest stadium but when I look at pictures it looks like it’s from outer space. And that makes sense what you were trying to say with Yankee Stadium

[@almightysosa3007]

So cool that they used memorial coliseum for an exhibition game. It was dodgers VS Red Sox, too bad they didn’t have the 42 ft wall in left lol

[@toastnjam7384]

First MLB game I attended was Dodgers vs Cardinals at the Coliseum with my Little League team in 1961. It was a huge crowed and we sat at the very end behind right field. They were horrible seats being so far away. The Cardinals first baseman Bill White, hit three homers in a 10-1 win. That was a pre-season game against the Red Sox played in 2008 celebrating their 50th anniversary in LA.

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

The Red Sox played the Dodgers in a 2008 exhibition game in LA Colosseum in front of a crowd of 115,000.

[@ryandouglas8382]

Polo was legendary. They need a modern day Polo Grounds. And now can you mention all the ballparks that moved their fences in and not mention Comerica Park ?

[@donkraemer50]

Yankee Stadium had its Monument Park in the field of play. Granite monuments actually on the field for the ball to bounce around and behind

[@jtsholtod.79]

The Baker Wall's height was only 70% made up of brick and wood, which is what you clearly see in the pictures. The other 30% on top was wire fence. So it was 60 feet in total, it's just hard to see the top.

[@Art_V101]

I don't care what anyone says but a stadium with short dimensions and a huge wall is the coolest thing in baseball.

[@markdubois4882]

Braves Field when it opened in 1915 was 402 down both lines and 550 to dead center. Only 7 balls cleared the fences in this configuration until the inner fences were installed in 1928.

[@johncassani6780]

They say the Braves owner who built Braves field thought that the most exciting play in baseball was the inside-the-park homer. He ended up owning a team that couldn’t outdraw the Red Sox, even when the Braves were better.

[@chrish931]

Yes and it had a tree in play in center field as well.

[@davidsp5936]

The warning track at Yankee Stadium WAS a track. It was designed for running, originally. It was the inspiration for the later advent if purpose-built warning tracks.

[@NoelSquitieri]

I grew up in Pittsburgh. Saw Roberto Clemente play in Forbes Field. It will always be my favorite ball field. Also saw a game at the old Yankee Stadium. I guess we all have our favorites, but it doesn't get better for me than these two great ball fields. IMHO. YMMV.

[@donkraemer50]

What was worse than the dimensions at Arlington was the 20,000 unshaded metal bleachers in the outfield. What better way to watch a game on a sunny 145 degree Texas afternoon. Luckily the temps fell down to 120 by nighttime and the seats stopped glowing red hot by the 7th inning stretch.

[@sk33t_38]

I would love if the Marlins did a exhibition game at the renovated Hard Rock. Would actually look really cool.

[@warrenkemmer1307]

The crazy part about stadiums before the 90s was all the cigarettes ads now you only see beer

[@coreywallace3391]

how about Huntington Avenue Grounds, the Red Sox home before fenway Left Field - 350 ft Left-Center - 440 ft Center Field - 530 ft (1901), 635 ft (1908) Right Field - 280 ft (1901), 320 ft (1908) Backstop - 60 ft

[@Autshot20]

Metro Dome installed plexi-glass to reduce the number of ground rule doubles. Initially there were many balls that bounced into the left field seats.

[@nickskuza5214]

As a kid growing up watching the Twins in the 2000s I thought every player had a few ground rule doubles every year. Apparently I never noticed that it would always happen when the Twins were home, haha.

[@joewhalen1427]

Braves field was large when opened in 1915 402 402 440 402 402. First home run over the fence was in 1922

[@jeffpilkington7480]

The Pirates owner when they built Forbes Field hated home run, which is why the dimensions were what they were. It explains why Honus Wagner had so many triples, 252

[@notthatoriginal6914]

The Polo Grounds was actually designed for, believe it or not, Polo. Definitely wish it was still around though

[@johannesswillery7855]

Arlington Stadium seems like a great place to WATCH a game.

[@richdouglas2311]

The Polo Grounds was designed for....polo. Hence, its oval design. They had tall fences down each line, so homers weren't as easy as you might thing, except for extreme pull hitters (like Mel Ott). The LA Coliseum was used because Dodger Stadium wasn't ready and the largest ballpark (a different Wrigley Field) was tiny for attendance. Walter O'Malley just couldn't resist the huge seating in the Coliseum. It went away once Chavez Ravine opened. All of the dual-purpose stadia built in the mid-'60s through the mid-'70s were all symmetrical in dimensions. Oakland, Anaheim, PIttsburgh, Cincinnati, Philadelphia JFK, all of them. Older ball parks had odd dimensions for one of two reasons. Either they were fitting a baseball diamond onto a field built for something else (like the Polo Grounds) or were tucking it into the downtown area among other facilities and buildings (like Fenway). Fenway had the short porch and the straight wall was built because the Red Sox couldn't get the city to let them close Lansdowne Street to make the dimensions normal. The wall runs along Lansdowne.

[@japes_YT]

Makes you wonder how many 295 ft homers Babe Ruth hit.

[@StevenEveral]

My favorite story about Philly's Baker Bowl was the giant advertisement for Lifebuoy Soap that was on it. It said "The Phillies use Lifebuoy Soap", and some wiseguy snuck into the stadium one time and tagged "And they still stink" onto the end of the advert tag.

[@MannyLoxx2010]

😂😅 Classic roast!!

[@deepcosmiclove]

I don't think the Polo Grounds was built for football. They played football there for the NY Football Giants and then the Titans. But the stadium was built for the NY Giants baseball team.

[@sk33t_38]

Fun Fact: Yankee Stadium invented the warning track because it literally was a track for running when baseball wasn't being played there.

[@ethanrobinson3288]

If I remember correctly, the polo grounds was origionaly designed almost exclusively for baseball. It was the restrictions of the plot of land it was on that caused the bizarre dimensions

[@alanchristie368]

I think it's called the Polo Grounds because they played Polo there.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

@@alanchristie368 It's called the Polo Grounds because it replaced a different facility the Giants used, which had actually been built for polo. This one was built for baseball. In fact, I think I remember reading this was the fourth "Polo Grounds" and only the first of the four had actually hosted polo; beyond that the name just followed the Giants by tradition.

[@shanekeenaNYC]

I think the Polo Grounds, Braves Field, Ebbets Field, and Connie Mack Stadium should have been preserved, or rebuilt.

[@BenBen-vl4xj]

Braves Field still exists on Boston University’s campus, with parts of the grandstand still in use for a soccer/lacrosse field (Nickerson Field) as well as some of the office facilities behind what was right field.

[@shanekeenaNYC]

@@BenBen-vl4xj Yeah, but I'm sort of talking about the whole thing. Gotta love it when the entire vision is pulled together.

[@al1976-v7m]

Your crazy voice and inunciation is what keeps me watching your videos and question my own sanity.

[@derick-smith]

These videos are crack for my inner child, I appreciate the content!

[@GregoryFariss]

Dodgers player the Red Sox in spring training games at the Coliseum in 2008, but the running track has been removed, the filed lowered at 14 rows of seats added making the field much smaller.

[@Antman_9602]

It looks like there was a chain fence on top of that wall

[@nicolesgaming8917]

Somehow, baseball is the most logical non-football use of Memorial Coliseum (especially compared to NASCAR and Stadium Super Trucks racing there).

[@jzagri]

I think Baker Boy Wall isn't 60 ft tall, but the fence on top of it which is transparent, probably brings it up to 60.

[@johncassani6780]

The Polo Grounds were great. For anyone who would take anything away from Willie Mays’ catch against Vic Wertz, because it wasn’t spectacular in the Ken Griffey sense, they need to consider that he was almost 450 feet from home. That was the biggest center field there ever was. As far as the Baker Bowl goes, I think that there was chain link on top of the wall that was in play, which brought it up to 60 feet. Fenway, to straight away right is deep, but the distance stays pretty constant along the bullpen wall. It’s 380 to straight away right, but it only goes to 383 at the center field edge of the Sox bullpen, where the wall juts out towards the triangle. Basically, it’s easier to hit home runs to right center than it is to straight away right at Fenway.

[@SteveGee1986]

You know that iconic world series catch made by Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds? Yeah, that ball was hit like 430 feet. Feel bad for that hitter.

[@0fficialdregs]

i love the Polo grounds, trying to re-create it in mlb the show 22 to my own specs

[@0fficialdregs]

@breadandcircuses8127 because i can......

[@jtsholtod.79]

The Plexiglas was installed at the Metrodome primarily to stop fan interference, as the seats were right at the wall. When they eventually took it down they blocked off a few rows instead.

[@chrisconley8583]

Thank you, I knew it wasn’t because of short dimensions. I had been told as a kid it was because of the giant fans behind home plate that aided balls hit. I’m shocked an adult in my childhood lied…shocked I tell you.

[@higgy04]

I always thought left field had a hockey environment with the 'hockey glass' in place. The other thing I will never forget at the Metrodome was the Hefty bag fences to cover up the retractable football seating.

[@Matthew-tc9jn]

i heard it was there because the turf they installed made the balls bounce too much and lead to a large amount of ground rule doubles. they removed it later when they replaced it with different turf that had less issues.

[@donkraemer50]

It was cool watching that plexiglass shake when Kirby would crash into it

[@JakeP2013]

as crazy as fenway park's right field is right now, years ago where the bullpens are now used to be in play making it even bigger with a higher wall.

[@Dalenumba3]

Im from nyc i met many people who tell me they used to watch the games at the polo grounds from atop the projects over there. You can see them at 3:12 When this old man was telling me he just lit up like he was transported back to being a boy watching.

[@trumootm143]

another interesting video. Keep it up mate.

[@RyansColoradoRailProductions]

Braves Field was nicknamed the Beehive because the Boston Braves were known as the Boston Bees from the late ‘30s to the early ‘40s

[@adanalyst6925]

Funny there’s the Salt Lake Bees AAA team now

[@jeffthewhiff]

I really enjoyed watching this video, Depressed Ginger, and it was cool that you featured old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh because I lived in that area several years ago, but the ballpark was long-gone by then. Haha, yes, the Polo Grounds in New York had very crazy dimensions for sure!

[@carlsmith3214]

Evidently someone didn't do proper research on Braves Field. The original dimensions were unheard-of. 410 down both lines and 550 to dead center!!! The stadium was built in 1915 during the dead ball era. When the great Ty Cobb stepped into the batters box for the first time he exclaimed " NO ONE WILL EVER HIT A BALL OVER THE FENCE HERE". The dimensions were changed in the 30s to what you described as short distances, i mean a video on strange ballpark dimensions and you didn't even mention the STRANGEST DIMENSIONS OF ALL !!!

[@Faxishim]

I wish teams still played in the polo grounds

[@samuelmoulds1016]

aaah....actually...I heard, if you visit the Polo Grounds NOW at night, you do so at the risk of your life.....aaah...you're not a 'mugger' are you!!?!

[@jeffisontheair]

Even with walls 500 feet away, there were still home runs. But players actually had to run them out (i.e. - inside the park home runs).

[@billsager5634]

These ballpark dimensions really affected the careers of ball players. Take Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. Just imagine the numbers Ted would have racked up playing at Yankee statium, with its short right field, rather than Fenway's death valley in right. For DiMaggio - Yankee Stadium killed RH hitter, but if he played at Fenway - his numbers would have been better! You mentioned how deep LF was at Forbes Field. Remember, Ralph Kiner had 5 consecutive 40+ HR seasons, twice hitting over 50 HR's! Put him in Fenway, he would have hit 60+ HR's every season! These old ballpark dimensions clearly impacted how clubs built their teams. Yankees were built around LH pitching and hitting. Red Sox built around RH pitching and hitting. Huge centerfields meant speedy CF's. You mentioned the issue with Coors field - big outfield due to the light air of being a mile high - but most MLB teams have slow, power hitters in the corner OF spots. At Coors - all the OF need great speed and range, to prevent all the singles and doubles. Sometimes, other factors, such as prevailing winds affect a ball parl. Shea Stadium was "cookie cutter" - 330 down each line, 375 to LC/RC, and 410 to dead center - but due to the winds, Shea tended to favor LH hitters.

[@supersasukemaniac]

I think the Baker Bowl wall was 60 feet when including the Chainlink fence on top, it looks like the regulation fence was as tall if not slightly smaller then the Green Monster at Fenway.

[@ryandouglas8382]

I don't remember Arlington being so basic. I remember watching Juan Gonzalez and Pudge and loved the Rangers back then but I'm surprised at how lame it is. Thought it was different

[@thefergyfilms]

So depressing that the Polo Grounds & OG Yankee Stadium were demolished alongside all of the other Jewel Box ballparks. Does history mean nothing? If the White Sox still played at their original stadium maybe they would be as beloved as the Cubs instead of feeling like an afterthought. Sport franchise owners severely undervalue the importance of a sense of history and importance these stadiums carry.

[@GregoryFariss]

Yankee stadium was literally disintegrating with chunks of concrete falling into the stands.

[@slimphotog]

11:22 Look at where the outfielders are at Forbes Field. It appears that a left-handed batter has just hit the ball. It looks like they really wanted to cut the ball off in those 400-foot alleys.

[@microsoftspam]

The Polo grounds will always be the goat in my book

[@jameslyle4257]

You should do a ranking video on college baseball stadiums

[@indyracingnut]

I was gonna say...NO STADIUM can beat the POLO Grounds. Over 500ft to center

[@jamespyle777]

Arlington Stadium being like an old Japanese Stadium.

[@jackcasciato8490]

I’d love to see another game at LA coliseum

[@nathanward9972]

Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. But also I want to point out that Babe Ruth's last homerun was to right field at Forbes Field

[@danieljackett4193]

Ruth hit 712, cleared the RF roof with 713, and 714 that day in Forbes Field

[@guyfaux3978]

For the fact that it probably was never called such nor even thought of as such since Americans wouldn't have known much about English top-flight football (soccer) ballparks, the Polo Grounds having a "Kop" (a single-tier large stand) in center field/east end zone makes it a bit out of the ordinary for US ballparks, especially baseball.

[@baugh3162]

Metrodome gave up too many ground rule doubles before the plexi glass...

[@danieljackett4193]

When the Yankees shared the Polo Grounds with the Giants, left field was actually shorter because the wall was more angled, while right field kept going at the 135° angle until it met the CF wall, and it was "only" 433 to dead center

[@dogcowrph]

Old Cleveland Stadium had to move the fences in because the bleachers were 500 feel from home plate.

[@samuelmoulds1016]

yeah, I heard Mickey Mantle was the only one to homer in Cleveland's Memorial Stadium centerfield. is this true!!?! (I probably spelled the name of your Stadium wrong). great place to play baseball!

[@abugslifeTV]

love this page and what you do bro, but you gotta do better at misspeaking & correcting errors before you upload. not tryna pick at you! just my thoughts. keep up the good work. 👍🏽💪🏽

[@nathanward9972]

I disagree. I like the live feel

[@jack_dagnel]

Polo Grounds was designed for “Polo”

[@deepcosmiclove]

I don't think anyone ever played polo there.

[@James-p9s6n]

Veterans Stadium in Philly had symmetrical dimensions: 330' down the lines, 371' to the power alleys and 408' to center field.

[@michaeldbookman]

434, not 344. Miami wasn't extreme at all.

[@steveneng3026]

Yeah, it wasn't extreme at all. It was decidedly average.

[@paulabbottii6937]

You forgot to mention the bump in the Baker Bowl outfield.

[@Hunteriffic86]

Polo Grounds in The Show is fun

[@JStorm13]

The plexiglass was only for a few seasons

[@jerryciccolella4280]

As a Pittsburgh fan,and fan of Forbes Field thanks for spending 20 minutes on the Pesky pole, but all of 10 seconds on the deminsions of Forbes Field!

[@samuelmoulds1016]

yeah, I loved Forbes Field, too. I visited it in the 1960's. great fans, too!

[@bishyaler]

Wrigley with the wells and baskets

[@ARanere]

Please with all these corporate names can you give the location and team.

[@TheAtkey]

One of the things I would do with a time machine is watch a few games at these old ballparks.

[@jonathanlocy3374]

Moving the fences in is so soft. So pissed at the tigers for doing it

[@Kojak024]

Polo grounds was a stadium for the sport of Polo not football

[@jamesjazz3395]

You'd need like three cut-offs throws just to get it home.

[@bubblerap7176]

Yankee stadium with that 490 to center, basically a screw you, buddy, no home runs to center for you. Crazy. And the vertical polo grounds walls are insane, such a sharp variation: 295, 315, 360, 414, 447, 455. Again, crazy stuff.

[@jt7250]

Mentions the plexiglass in left field at the Metrodome but not the 23ft tall Hefty bag wall in Right

[@dancolonna6590]

Yankee stadium had a hill after the warning track, you gotta look closely

[@KofaAvenueAnimations]

A joke from the 1930s: The Phillies use Lifebuoy, and they still stink!

[@felixlpilon]

The fact that the Polo Grounds were asymetrical still drives me nuts.

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

I like Arlington Stadium except the seats are shit and the bullpens are on the field. One of the biggest pet peeves of mine. Oakland. Wrigley. Those damn on-field bullpens…

[@CapPigDog]

I went to Arlington as a kid. The way that thing was constructed if fans started stomping the entire thing would shake. It scared the absolute crap out of me as a kid in the upper deck.

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

@@CapPigDog Yeah always looks rickety on that shitty 20th century camera quality. But it held and now it's gone. Thankfully so

[@enslaved1s]

No wonder why babe hit so many home runs

[@alanchristie368]

When the Yankees played the Cubs for the 1932 WS 'The Babe' was asked what he thought of Wrigley, and he said that he would play for half his salary if he could get all of his at bats there.

[@enslaved1s]

@@alanchristie368 why

[@alanchristie368]

@@enslaved1s Because he thought that Wrigley Field was easy.

[@allenatkins2263]

"The Phillies use Lifebouy." "Yeah, and they still stink."

[@MannyLoxx2010]

😂😅

[@SlamDunkTheFunk23]

you never mentioned the baker bowl had the clubhouse in centerfield!

[@ekrwy2]

Need to include League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.

[@landonmcarthur455]

Love you DG

[@warrenkemmer1307]

Tiger stadium before they got the new one. 440 dead center

[@KingdomeBleachers]

Most stadiums do not have fences that are the same dimensions on both sides, so no, that was not a result of the cookie cutter stadiums from the 80's. Really only Kauffman and Dodger, maybe one or two more are like that. Those 2 stadiums are not considered boring. The thing that was boring about Arlington was everything else about it. Just a bunch of boring bleachers in the outfield. That and Arlingtons fences were more rounded than Kauffman and Dodger.

[@SP.007]

Every new stadium should be standardized.

[@jeffha4057]

Bill James estimated that DiMaggio lost more homers to Yankee Stadium’s cavernous confines than any player in baseball history. In his book, The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs, statistician Bill Jenkinson pegged DiMaggio’s lost tally at 77 long balls under park neutral conditions.

[@bunpeishiratori5849]

In what year did Babe Ruth hit 104 home runs?

[@MannyLoxx2010]

😂😅

[@KittyPurrfect100]

New Yankee Stadium sucks. Bring back the mystique of old Yankee Stadium!

[@noone-ft9lw]

baker bowl, look at the chain link on top

[@ethanporciello8807]

La coliseum was a dodgers Red Sox game

[@TheMisleduser]

There's a that's what she said somewhere in here

[@matthewchristion5660]

U gotta cut them lip smacks player

[@baugh3162]

Baker Bowl ... same as baker's dozen

[@samuelmoulds1016]

aaah...actually....your announcer (creator) has too much 'jibber jabber'. I really think he should have done more 'homework', instead of saying, "I wanted to....." and "I should have....."....so much.

[@TheSwedeJay]

Definitely needs a bit more research, editing, and proofreading to make this an actually referable video

[@guccidan719]

I thought old yankee stadium was still standing no?

[@supersasukemaniac]

I think it became the parking lot for New Yankee Stadium. Edit: I was close, it became a complex known as Hertiage Park, the second base of the ballpark is right where homeplate at Yankee Stadium was.

[@alanchristie368]

They built the 2nd Stadium on the original site and played their home games at Shea Stadium (Mets) for 2 seasons, 1974/75. The 3rd Stadium was built next door and when completed Stadium 2 was demolished.

[@warrenkemmer1307]

The steroid era was so popular because of all the runs and home runs and that's why they are moving fences in because more offense brings more fan excitement. Back then they didn't need to move fences in because they were on steroids and a juiced ball maybe

[@bubblerap7176]

460? 490? What the hell were they thinking? Hey, let's keep these scores as low as possible and bore the crowds silly. I'm sure there were few Yankee hitters leading in home runs those years. Amazing.