The X Files remains one of my all-time favorite television series.  In it, you had just enough of the truth to make you wonder if the story line could be true and then a total farse of paranormal activity.  The story lines were always loosely based upon local legends or alien sightings.  Just like the tales of homeruns that soared for 600 feet, the story lines in the X-Files grew with each episode.  Eventually, as with all sitcoms, it ran its course and they made a movie based upon the series.  Soon, there will be a second installment in the X Files movie, and this is my second installment of X Files about baseball players.  The first was about none other than Hammerin Hank Aaron.  Today, I shall tackle the greatest legend of all in Babe Ruth.  Certainly, the facts in his heroics have grown bigger and bigger with each year that passes.  Like the fish that got away, no one can verify just how big he was and no one can tarnish the legend that is Babe Ruth.  This post is not an attempt to diminish his accomplishments, but merely an attempt to put the Bambino's records in proper perspective.

After the strike shortened season of 1994, fans quit watching the game.  Many people speculated that MLB started using “hot” baseballs to increase the homerun totals so that spectators would return.  After all, fans love to see the long ball.  Of course the fans did return with the culmination of the homerun chase of Sosa and McGwire of 1997.  There will always be a shadow of doubt about that season fueled not only by the equipment that was used, but also by the steroid scandal.  But this is not the first time MLB may have helped a player accomplish astounding feats just to bring fans back to the ball park.  (Maybe Mark was just juicing the ball with all that Milk he was drinking....certainly those arms don't look all that chiseld to me.)

Much like the strike shortened season of modern history, MLB needed to attract fans to return to the game after the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919.  Who better than the player most revered in all of baseball, Herman “Babe” Ruth and what better way than with the long ball?  Let's look at a few of the perks afforded to him to help him accomplish his monumental homerun career. 

While stadiums generally are smaller today in the overall dimensions, they are not significantly smaller down the line in the power alleys.  In fact, I would argue that Ruth was given a free pass for almost half of his homeruns because the RF line at Yankee Stadium was the shortest fence in all of MLB at 258 feet as well as the LF line which was also 258 feet.  It wasn’t until 1928 that it was lengthened to 296 feet.  Not only was it one of the shortest, but it was modeled after the Polo Grounds were RF was only 256 feet.  Yankee Stadium’s RF was actually shortened to accommodate Ruth so he could hit more HR which would attract more fans.  Talk about perks! 

Left-handed slugger Babe Ruth loved the short distance to right field at the Polo Grounds, and he was the first player ever to knock a ball over the roof and out of the park there. Ruth's consistent pattern of pull-hit homers clearly influenced the design of Yankee Stadium, which was built less than a mile away, on the other side of the Harlem River, in 1923.

 

(This quote is from Andrew Clem's site and I have it linked.  Also, you this diagram of Yankee stadium is the one from 1937.  It was only 258 from 1922-27.)

Cleveland’s stadium, League Park, which was used from 1910 until 1946,had a RF line that was only 290 feet long. Compare that to their left field line of 375 and you can see how stadiums were configured to favor the left handed slugger.  There is a wonderful site, Andrew Clem’s Baseball that has the dimensions in easy an easy to see format.  It also has interactive maps which change as you scroll over years.  It is very interesting to see the many different configurations of ballparks that were used prior to the standardization of the foul line.   

(Cleveland's League Park used from 1910-1946.)

Lastly, some will argue that the Babe hit many monster homeruns over the center field fence.  While it is true that he hit some towering blasts, he hit most of his home runs down the right field line and to right center.  He was known as a tremendous pull hitter.  Of course even if he went to the opposite field, it was also very short at Yankee Stadium.  The fact is that very few home run greats ever hit exclusively to CF and Babe Ruth was no exception.  He benefited greatly from the short lines in most of the outfields he played in and he was able to take advantage of the cavernous center fields by hitting inside the park homeruns. 

(Fenway Park, I just threw this one in again to show the short RF porch.)

 

Today, many baseball purists will point out that Barry Bonds is hitting in much smaller ballparks than Ruth did.  They will also try to say that Ruth’s homeruns were monstrous compared to Barry’s line drive shots.  All of this, just to try and bolster his achievements and diminish Bonds’.  To me they are overlooking some glaring differences in the era, especially the design of modern day stadiums as compared to the home run friendly alleys of the classic ball parks.  

 

SoCalSportsFan