The escon field is asymmetrical and linear from both wings to the centre
From the 2023 season, Nippon-Ham will move its base to “Escon Field Hokkaido”. The new stadium incorporates many new elements that have never existed before, such as a retractable roof and natural grass on the ground, as well as hot springs and sauna facilities. Above all, the size of the field and the characteristics of the shape of the fence will have a great impact on the players’ play.
The stadium has an asymmetrical design, as represented by the left wing of approximately 97 meters and the right wing of approximately 99 meters. Furthermore, the outfield fence is straight from the two wings to the center field, and is characterized by a small bulge. The height of the fence is also not consistent, but it is about 2.8 meters at the lowest point, and is expected to be a batter-friendly park.
Once again, let’s look back at the Sapporo Dome, which Nippon-Ham was located in until last season. In addition to 100 meters in both wings and 122 meters in center field, which is one of the largest in Japan, the height of the outfield fence was 5.75 meters, the highest among the 12 baseball teams. In part because of this, the number of home runs per game has been the lowest in the home base of the Pacific League for the past three years in a row, and it could be said that the ballpark made the batter cry. The change in home ground this time around is expected to be a positive factor for hitters, but we are speculating on the effect of specific data.
The Nippon-Ham batting lineup last season was undoubtedly lacking in power, with the team batting 100 home runs and remaining in fourth place in the league. However, looking at the batting characteristics, the percentage of outfield fly balls is high at 42.7%, which is second only to Seibu, who recorded the most home runs in the league at 43.8%. It can be said that it is a batting line that has the potential of long hitting power.
In the Sapporo Dome, there are many instances where a ball caught by the opponent’s outfielder or a fly ball that does not go over the fence becomes a home run in the new home base, and the characteristics of the a new foundation matches the characteristics I feel there is a possibility that it will act positively.
