Citizens Bank Park

  Just a few years after Three Rivers Stadium was imploded at the other end of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia followed suit by demolishing an often detested stadium of their own. Not only was Veterans Stadium a bit mundane from a playing perspective, it had many physical issues including the seam-ridden AstroTurf and unstable support rails, the latter of which caused a serious accident in 1998 that led to calls for a new stadium. Needless to say, the introduction of the more modern Citizens Bank Park in 2004 was a breath of fresh air.

  On the field, the newer South Philly venue can be considered one of MLB's top home run parks as it features the smallest outfield in the league. The tight dimensions are partly offset by Philadelphia's low altitude which can subtract 3 to 4 feet of carry from what is typical across MLB. Additionally, the taller-than-average fences in both left and right fields can sometimes turn would-be home runs into doubles. Even so, left and right are the best HR spots as CF actually plays a bit more difficult than neutral.

  Perhaps the most notable in-play feature of Citizens Bank is its receptiveness to wind. It's no Wrigley Field, but it is the closest thing to it in MLB. Wind speed isn't often high in Philadelphia, but the difference between an in-blowing 10-mph wind and an out-blowing one is about 3.9% of carry distance (or about 15 ft on a fly ball hit 400 feet). Interestingly, winds blowing in have more of an effect than those blowing out. This likely has to do with the absence of any tall bleachers or scoreboards past the middle third of the outfield fence. Overall Ballpark Pal ranks Citizens Bank Park 3rd in day-to-day park variation.