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The new Yankee Stadium did not play as much like a bandbox in 2010 as it did in its inaugural 2009 season.
There were 223 homers hit at the second-year ballpark, down from a major league-leading 237 last year. The hit 115, according to STATS LLC, a drop from 136 last season.
"I can definitely tell that the ball is not carrying as well as it was last year," the Yankees' said before Sunday night's 4-3, 10-inning win over Boston completed the home schedule. "Center field to right-center is really dead compared to last year. There are balls you hit out there that you think at the very least are going to hit off the wall and you're going to get a double, and they're dying at the warning track."
Yankee Stadium's home-run barrage was most pronounced early in the 2009 season. An average of 3.5 homers per game were hit before the June 18 game, and the figure dwindled to 2.5 per game for the remainder of the season.
This year's average of 2.75 at Yankee Stadium is down from last year's 2.93.
Who knows what the reason is. Better pitching? The old Yankee Stadium, which was across the street, now being gone? Just a different year?
There is still an occasional ball that sneaks into the first row or two of the right-field seats, like Alex Rodriguez' two-run shot in the seventh inning Sunday night against Boston. But, the new yard has not quite turned out to be Coors Field east as some had feared