Tale of Two Ballparks
By Brad Young
There is a feeling-out process to any sporting event, whether it’s the opening few seconds of a boxing match or the first couple of plays in football. That also holds true for oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants when handicapping new stadiums.
New York City opened two new ballparks this spring, with Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens. There were plenty of theories on whether the new ballparks will favor pitchers or hitters.
“It takes a few games to see how a new ballpark will play,” stated LVSC oddsmaker Jason Been. “We’ve already adjusted our lines for Yankee Stadium, not so much for Citi Field.”
After a brief feeling-out process, LVSC has adjusted its numbers for home game in the Big Apple. Yankee Stadium opened against Cleveland April 16 with the total listed at 8 ½, with the Indians prevailing as a $2.00 underdog, 10-2.
Yankee Stadium has hosted just four games after Monday’s matchup with Oakland was rained out, with the ‘over’ cashing the first three contests. The April 17th outing saw the Yankees prevail as a $2.20 ‘chalk,’ 6-5, while the combined 11 runs toppled the nine-run closing total.
“There’s only been four games at the new Yankee Stadium, so we’re keeping our eyes on how things are playing out,” said Been. “It will be a hitters’ park, but it won’t be Coors Field by any means.
“There does appear to be a jet stream out to right. The ball is carrying better than at the old stadium even though both ballparks have the same dimensions. But so far every game has been during the day. Let’s get a couple of night games in there and see what the difference is. Things have a way of evening out in baseball.”
The Yankee Stadium total has been 10 ½ the last two games, including the April 18th thrashing by Cleveland as a $1.25 underdog, 22-4. New York rebounded by winning the following day as a $2.50 ‘chalk,’ 7-3.
“Totals are a little bit higher than normal from last year, but we’re leaning higher right now because that’s the general perception,” noted Been. “Whoever paid $2500 for a seat to that 22-4 drubbing certainly got their money’s worth if they wanted to see Indians running around the bases.”
While the ‘over’ has been cashing tickets in the Bronx, the Mets’ Citi Field has seen the ‘under’ go 4-2 the first six outings. Widely hailed as a pitchers park during construction, the early games have lived up to the billing.
New York dropped the April 13th opener to San Diego as a decided $2.20 home favorite, 6-5, while the combined 11 runs eclipsed the nine-run closing total. The only other Citi Field matchup that toppled the closing number also occurred with a Padres victory two days later by the identical score. The total on that contest was just 7 ½.
“Citi Field is more of a pitchers’ park, some of the walls are pretty high,” noted Been. “When the weather warms up this summer, things might be different.”
The ‘under’ cashed in all three contests against Milwaukee, featuring a couple of pitching duels. After New York won the first matchup as a $1.30 home favorite, 5-4, the Mets prevailed as a $1.75 ‘chalk,’ 1-0, while losing as a $1.50 favorite, 4-2. The combined nine runs in the opener slithered ‘under’ the 9 ½-run closing total, while the closing totals of 7 ½ and 10 were never seriously threatened in the final two outings.
The best insight on how the new Citi Field is playing might be left to the people on the field.
“Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun said that he hit a ball as hard as he could in one of the games and it didn’t go out,” said Been. “Braun really got into the ball and he’s a power hitter.
“Players know the best in these situations. The dimensions of the new park say it should be pretty neutral, but the players think that it will favor the pitchers.”
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