WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Yankees manager Aaron Boone had just finished a successful road series but still felt a bit exasperated after New York took two of three games against the Athletics in the minor league stadium that torments pitchers and fielders alike.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play in the PCL. But I feel like I鈥檝e experienced it a couple times here when it gets hot like this,鈥� Boone said Sunday following a . 鈥淵ou鈥檙e never feeling safe. … Just glad to escape here and get on the bird. It鈥檚 a challenging place to play. You have to figure it out.鈥�
Less than halfway through their second season at their temporary home at Sutter Health Park in the Sacramento area, the A’s are still trying to deal with the challenges of a ballpark that inflates offensive numbers.
The heat and jet stream can turn what might seem like normal fly balls into home runs. The high sky and unpredictable winds make catching fly balls an adventure. It combines to make the ballpark one of the friendliest in the league for hitters and has appeared to have taken a toll on the A鈥檚 pitchers.
The A’s went 1-5 on their most recent homestand, allowing 47 runs against Seattle and New York 鈥� 鈥� in what has become a pattern in the team’s .
The A’s have shown promise this season and have spent plenty of time in first place in the AL West before this recent slump. They rank 10th best in the majors with a 17-14 mark on the road, while their 11-17 record at home is the second worst.
Pitching is the major reason why.
The A’s are allowing 3.01 more runs per game at home than on the road. That would be the biggest discrepancy ever for a full season in the majors, according to Sportradar, beating the previous mark of 2.82 by the Phillies in 1923 and even topping any season played in the mile-high altitude in Denver.
鈥淵ou watch games here,鈥� A’s manager Mark Kotsay said when asked about the challenge of pitching at the A’s ballpark. 鈥淵ou got to keep the ball down the zone and get the ball on the ground. We鈥檝e paid for our mistakes probably more than what we鈥檝e paid for mistakes on the road. That being said, we鈥檝e got to play better defense at home. 鈥� That鈥檚 a combination of what it takes to pitch better. It鈥檚 also to play better.鈥�
While the A’s try to downplay the impact knowing they can’t change it, the evidence is stark. The ease with how the ball carries takes a toll on pitchers, who can become reluctant to challenge hitters.
The A’s have walked batters at the second-highest rate in the majors at home, compared to 18th highest on the road. The A’s walked 16 batters in the three-game series against the Yankees, including four with the bases loaded.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to overfocus on home-road splits right now but obviously we鈥檙e well aware that we haven鈥檛 played well in this ballpark,” Kotsay said.
But the pitchers say they try to do their best to avoid letting it play with their heads.
鈥淵ou can try and pitch to it, and if you do that, it might work one time, but you might also do something that you don鈥檛 want to do, or try and do something you鈥檙e not good at,鈥� A’s starter Aaron Civale said. 鈥淪ometimes the wind鈥檚 blowing out here, sometimes the wind is blowing out in another stadium or different place. So there鈥檚 factors everywhere, rain, weather, cold, hot. It鈥檚 all conditions that we can鈥檛 control. Unless you have a roof over your head, then surely there鈥檚 nothing you can do about it.鈥�
While the A’s pitchers have been hurt more by the environment than their counterparts, the conditions are a challenge for everyone. On Saturday night, Yankees starter Ryan Weathers had the kind of stuff that should have produced a strong outing.
Weathers had 10 strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings and generated swings and misses on more than 40% of swings for just the third time in his career. But three home runs 鈥� including two on what he considered to be good pitches 鈥� proved costly in a 6-4 loss.
But he said he couldn’t change his approach even knowing the risks of any flyball.
鈥淚 did my time in the PCL, so I know how these parks work,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut obviously, that can鈥檛 go into your decision-making, can鈥檛 go into your pitching.鈥�
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