Alfonso Soriano hit 39 followed by 38 and was promptly traded, Dave Winfield managed 37, Bob Meusel once hit 33, Joe Gordon hit 30, Bill Skowron, Elston Howard and Thurman Munson never hit 30, and Mickey Mantle was a switch hitter. Why the paucity of right handed 40 home run hitters? In two words, Yankee Stadium.
When Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, the distance to the fence was 295 feet in right field, 490 feet in center field, and 281 feet in left field. Guess what they called center field? Right. Center field was called Death Valley.
In 1937 the distances were changed to 301 to the left field foul pole, 402 to left field, 457 to left center field, 461 to center field, 407 to right center field, 344 to right field, and 296 to the right field foul pole. DiMaggio responded with his best home run season.
Concentrate on the left center and center field dimensions. Straight away left field in Yankee Stadium was 402 feet. Left center field in Yankee Stadium was 457 feet. Think back to Al Gionfriddo's catch against Joe DiMaggio in the 1947 World Series. The little Dodger outfielder caught the ball near the bullpen, which was 415 feet from home plate. As Red Barber might ask in his magnificent, low key style, "Think the ball park helped the Dodgers?"
Hitting at least 40 home runs in a season is not always accomplished by great hitters and sometimes one dimensional hitters do it. Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Hack Wilson, Ralph Kiner, Wille Mays, Hank Aaron, and Frank Robinson were great hitters. Wally Post, Dick Stuart, and Gorman Thomas were not. The latter represent a group of hitters who were advocates of one of Frank Sinatra's greatest hits, All Or Nothing At All.
The Yankees have had some great right handed hitters but Yankee Stadium is a left handed hitters park. Not only was the distance to right field only 344 feet, but the fence was merely a 4 foot concrete barrier. Right fielders would sometimes fall over the fence attempting to take away a home run. When the Stadium was renovated after the 1973 season, the distance down the foul pole was increased to 314 feet and the height of the right field fence was increased, but Yankee Stadium still favored left handed batters.
