Here’s a first look at the Detroit Tigers‘ new outfield wall and dimensions at Comerica Park.
The changes, announced in January, were on display starting with the Tigers’ home opener Thursday vs. Boston.
The center-field fence was moved in 10 feet, the wall now 412 feet from home plate. The height of the walls were lowered in center field (from 8.5 feet to 7 feet), right-center field (from 13 feet to 7 feet; a ball hit above the yellow line denotes a home run) and right field (from 8.5 feet to 7 feet). The ballpark lost the first row of seats in right field, roughly 50 seats total, because of the alterations.
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“We wanted to strike the right balance,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in January, “where we were improving the offensive conditions for our hitters without fundamentally changing the profile of the park, and we felt like we could do that with these changes.”
Laser measurements of the outfield wall, as part of the research process, measured the old center-field wall at 422 feet, easily the deepest in the majors. The new distance of 412 feet leaves Comerica Park as the second-deepest ballpark to center in the majors, behind only Coors Field (415). League-average distance in center is 402 feet.
The wall was reconstructed with material and padding that enhances player safety, the Tigers said.
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Any ball that hits above the yellow line is a home run.
Here’s what the wall looked like before the changes.
The previous dimensions at Comerica Park, long viewed as pitcher-friendly, were labeled as 345 feet in left field, 370 feet in left-center, 420 feet in center, 365 to right-center and 330 feet to right from 2003-22.
The Tigers also renovated the clubhouse.
This story will be updated with reaction from Tigers players pregame.