Major League Baseball umpire Dan Iassogna looks at the ground rules and replay possibilities at the four ballparks in play this postseason. Here’s how he sizes them up:
Tropicana Field
This place is wild and rocking, but so are the ground rules. Fan interference in the outfield is always a possibility – nowadays that’s true in so many of our parks. The biggest issues here are the catwalks. Some are in play, some are home runs, all of them have cables and/or speakers, lights attached. The baseballs also blend in with the roof so you can’t take your eyes off the ball, except when you have to avoid the fielders actually trying to catch the ball, which is all of the time. There are also foul poles attached to the roof, which is a unique design feature. Balls that strike catwalks up in foul territory are dead and cannot be caught. Balls that strike in fair territory can be caught, and they’re judged fair/foul from their striking point on the field. The ground rules here make it like umpiring inside of a pinball machine.
Fenway Park
there are seats atop the left field wall it’s truly become a green monster. There is a red line that separates the fans from the field. If struck by a batted ball, it’s a home run except if it hits the ladder (another unique design feature) first, then it’s ruled a double. Balls can easily strike a fan or the red line and come back into play. The foul poles at Fenway are also unique. Left field feels like it’s sitting atop a mountain and right field is so close it’s like it’s tapping you on the shoulder all game. Fans can reach balls in center field, and the short wall in right field also puts the fans in play.
Citizens Bank Park
An intense baseball experience. If Tropicana Field is a pinball machine, then this park is a video game. There are yellow lines drawn in the outfield that designate between home run and in play. The fans can also reach anything in right-center and right. What makes this park unique are the clear Plexiglas walls in the outfield. With the fans seated behind them, a ball hitting the glass looks as if it’s changed direction in midair or struck the fans or the flower garden planted in left field. Not cool.
Dodger Stadium
The classic baseball package. With the exception of the short part of the outfield wall, this ballpark is pretty umpire-friendly. The fans are seated well behind in the gaps, which makes our job much easier.
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