No team in Major League Baseball has allowed more home runs since 2017 than the Baltimore Orioles.
Instead of improving their rotation or bullpen to combat the home run surge, the rebuilding Orioles are moving back their shallow left-field fence. Construction at Oriole Park at Camden Yards started this week and the alterations are the first to the ballpark’s size in two decades, according to a report from The Baltimore Sun’s Nathan Ruiz. The left-field wall’s height will be raised from 7 feet to 12 feet and will be moved back as much as 30 feet.
Before the changes, the distance from home plate to the left-field foul pole was 333 feet, and 364 feet to the left-field corner. While Oriole Park at Camden Yards — which will celebrate its 30th birthday in 2022 — is likely to remain a hitters’ ballpark, the changes could balance the scales a bit.
Since 2017, the Orioles have allowed a league-high 1,118 home runs— including a record-breaking 305 in 2019. Over the past three seasons, Camden Yards’ bleachers welcomed 655 long balls — 72 more than second-place Yankee Stadium.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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