Kansas City Royals Reshape Kauffman Stadium for Fairer Play

The Kansas City Royals are making big changes to Kauffman Stadium. They are moving the outfield fences closer by 10 feet. This change aims to make the stadium more fair for hitters. The Royals want to turn Kauffman into a park where hitting a ball well means it will likely be a home run. For years, Kauffman Stadium was known for being tough on home runs. The large outfield made it hard for hitters to score. This led to players changing their swings when playing at home. The Royals hope the new fence positions will fix this issue. They want hitters to feel confident that a good hit will result in a home run. The changes will affect most of the outfield. The power alleys will now be 379 feet instead of 389 feet. The fences will continue to get shorter until they reach the foul poles. The height of the fences will also be lowered from 10 feet to 8. 5 feet. Center field will stay the same at 410 feet.The Royals have tried changing the fences before. In the past, they moved the fences in and out. They found that moving them in made the stadium better for home runs. However, they returned to the original dimensions in 2004. Since then, many balls have been caught on the warning track. This prompted the Royals to study the effects of changing the fences again. Dr. Daniel Mack, the Royals' vice president of research and development, led the study. He used advanced data to find the best fence positions. Mack considered wind, temperature, and other factors. He wanted to create a stadium that would help the team perform consistently, whether at home or on the road. The Royals believe the new fences will make Kauffman Stadium more fair. They think it will help their hitters perform better. The team also hopes the changes will make the stadium more exciting for fans. The Royals are ready to see how the new fences will affect the game.