Batter's eye
The batter's eye or batter's eye screen is a solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the
Design and seating
The batter's eye area is usually painted or otherwise decorated in black, dark green, or another color dark enough to allow batters to track the flight of the white ball. If there are seats behind center field, they are painted a dark color and are not occupied during baseball games, as the "black bleachers" section is directly in front of them. If fans were allowed to sit in this section, it would create a pitcher's advantage, in addition to raising the batter's exposure to danger, as it would make it more difficult for the batter to track the ball if a substantial number of fans were wearing white shirts.
One example of a batter's background is the black area in the center-field bleachers section of the original Yankee Stadium, known as the Black Seats. At one time, there were seats where the black area was, but because of distractions the seats were removed and the area painted black. (Before the stadium's mid-1970s renovation, a batter's eye screen was often put up in front of the section.)
At Fenway Park in Boston, the batter's eye is made by laying a tarp over a section of the center field bleachers. During day games, the seats will not be sold so the tarp can be laid down; however, during night games, when the batter is more likely to be able to see the ball regardless of the backdrop, the seats are sold. This has often created unusual seating arrangements during night games that are made up during part of a day-night doubleheader as the sections remain uncovered for the people who have purchased the seats. The Red Sox have solved this problem by handing out T-shirts of the same color to these fans to wear during the game.[2] At Wrigley Field, the center field bleachers used to be closed off and covered by a tarpaulin, and later by juniper plants. There is now a shaded luxury suite there referred to by the Cubs as the "Bud Light Batter's Eye".[3]
Some stadiums have rotating billboards in this area. In this case, advertisements are displayed in between innings, while a dark surface is rotated in while the game is in play. This method was used at Shea Stadium (and continues at Shea's replacement, Citi Field) in New York,[4] Oracle Park in San Francisco, and at Petco Park in San Diego.[5] Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida had a restaurant called the Batter's Eye Restaurant.[6] The current Yankee Stadium has a restaurant with dark tinted glass that serves as the batter's eye.
Ballparks in
See also
References
- ^ Borzi, Pat (May 19, 2014). "The batter's eye can make a big difference for hitters". Sports on Earth. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ "What is the Batter's Eye?". Detroit Athletic Co. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ "2010 Mezzanine Suite and Batter's Eye". MLB.com. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
- ^ Noble, Marty. Notes: Early bird gets the worm, MLB.com, April 11, 2005. Accessed September 15, 2007.
- ^ Center, Bill. "A green solution for Batter's Eye", The San Diego Union-Tribune, September 25, 2004. Accessed September 12, 2007.
- St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ^ Chuck Pollock. "Pollock: Drainage has long been a Bradner issue". Olean Times Herald. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland Books, 2014. "Baseball Explained". Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2017.