PHOENIX – When Coors Field opened in 1995, it was admired for its beauty while staining baseball with frightening offensive numbers. From 1995 to 2001, the ballpark averaged a league-high 13.83 runs and 3.20 home runs per game.
Home runs and runs have decreased dramatically since the introduction of the humidor in 2002. This year, the 10.66 runs scored by both teams per game was an all-time low, with the 2.26 home runs ranking as the third lowest. The decrease in runs also indicates better pitching – the Rockies’ 4.34 home ERA is a franchise best – and terrific defense. The Rockies established a major-league record with a .989 fielding percentage.
The humidor, located down the hallway from the Rockies’ clubhouse, next to the keg refrigerator, keeps the baseball closer to manufacturer’s specifications. Before, when the baseballs were stored in a closet, they would shrink in Denver’s dry air over the course of the season, becoming harder and more difficult for pitchers to grip.
How the baseball balls are stored – at 70 degrees and 50 percent humidity – has not changed, but their stay has. In 2005, the Rockies became better at managing the humidor, so the first baseballs in became the last ones out. In the past two seasons, the Rockies began cutting the infield and outfield grass higher in order to slow down groundballs on a field that was previously known around the league as pool-table fast.
Providing a sense of normalcy to baseball at altitude has produced an intended side effect: Colorado plays the same on the road as at home. The Rockies won a franchise best 39 road games this season.
A rise in humidity
National baseball writer Troy E. Renck looks at Coors Field’s transformation to Coors Light Field:
(Year Runs per game HR per game)
2002 12.21 2.86
2003 11.94 2.84
2004 12.69 2.73
2005 11.07 2.09
2006 10.72 2.07
2007 10.66 2.26
Build it and they will come
Before this season, the Rockies were known for two things: home runs and home attendance. A look back, noting that their 1993 total attendance stands as baseball’s single-season record:
(Yr. Att. Avg. Rank NL/Majors)
1993 4,483,350 56,751 1/1
1994 3,281,511 58,598 1/1
1995 3,390,037 47,084 1/1
1996 3,891,014 48,037 1/1
1997 3,888,453 48,006 1/1
1998 3,789,347 46,782 1/1
1999 3,481,065 42,976 1/1
2000 3,285,710 40,564 3/5
2001 3,159,385 39,005 2/5
2002 2,737,918 33,801 6/8
2003 2,334,085 28,816 9/14
2004 2,338,069 29,596 9/15
2005 1,914,389 23,930 14/26
2006 2,104,362 25,980 13/23
2007 2,376,250 28,978 11/19
