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Home runs, The K, and the blame game

It may not be about the stadium. It may be about the players. Shocking.

Jamie Squire

On Tuesday night, Alex Gordon launched a game-tying grand slam. It was epic.

It was the second consecutive home game Gordon has homered. He hit one to leadoff the game against the Braves last week.

Home runs at Kauffman. Through 40 home games, the Royals have hit 21 home runs at home. Against 28 on the road. Blame The K, right?

Powered by The Blame Game the Royals and Dayton Moore like to play, a reader compiled a couple of tables for us to digest. First, we look at home runs, hit by the Royals and their opponents, at home and on the road.

BATTING

PITCHING

Home

Road

Home

Road

*1969

39

59

63

73

1970

46

51

48

90

1971

23

57

36

48

1972

29

49

28

57

**1973

54

60

61

53

1974

38

51

42

49

1975

46

72

45

63

1976

37

28

35

48

1977

56

90

50

60

1978

43

55

44

64

1979

53

63

81

84

1980

47

68

51

78

1981

17

44

27

48

1982

61

71

64

99

1983

50

59

66

67

1984

48

69

59

77

1985

67

87

43

60

1986

60

77

46

75

1987

73

95

57

71

1988

55

66

37

65

1989

38

63

26

60

1990

42

58

46

70

1991

47

70

40

65

1992

24

51

41

65

1993

50

75

49

56

1994

41

59

48

47

***1995

49

70

68

74

1996

50

73

90

86

1997

88

70

94

92

1998

76

58

110

86

1999

74

77

96

106

2000

84

66

117

122

2001

75

77

112

97

2002

88

52

121

91

2003

69

93

113

77

****2004

56

94

90

118

2005

51

75

80

98

2006

65

59

102

111

2007

49

53

79

89

2008

50

70

73

86

2009

65

79

69

97

2010

60

61

82

94

2011

53

76

68

95

2012

62

69

87

76

2013 (through 80 games)

21

28

40

47

1969-1972

137

216

175

268

353

443

% of Total:

38.8%

61.2%

39.5%

60.5%

1973-1994

1047

1431

1058

1424

2478

2482

% of Total:

42.3%

57.7%

42.6%

57.4%

1995-2003

653

636

921

831

1289

1752

% of Total:

50.7%

49.3%

52.6%

47.4%

2004-2013

532

664

770

911

1196

1681

% of Total:

44.5%

55.5%

45.8%

54.2%

2007-2013 (Dayton Moore Era)

360

436

498

584

796

1082

% of Total:

45.2%

54.8%

46.0%

54.0%

1973-2013

2232

2731

2749

3166

4963

5915

% of Total:

45.0%

55.0%

46.5%

53.5%

Franchise Total:

2369

2947

2924

3434

5316

6358

% of Total:

44.6%

55.4%

46.0%

54.0%

* = Municipal Stadium (1969-1972)

Park Dimensions: LF: 369'. RF: 338'. LF Alley: 408'. RF Alley: 382. CF: 420'.

Fence Height = LCR -13'-22'-12'

** = Royals/Kauffman Stadium (1973-1994)

Park Dimensions: LF: 330'. RF: 330'. Alleys: 385'. CF: 410'. Fence Height = 12'

*** = Kauffman Stadium (1995-2003)

Park Dimensions: LF: 330'. RF: 330'. Alleys: 375'. CF: 400'. Fence Height = 9'

**** = Kauffman Stadium (2004-Present)

Park Dimensions: LF: 330'. RF: 330'. Alleys: 387'. CF: 410'. Fence Height = 8'

Some takeaways:

-- The Royals have been outhomered by their opponents for 18 consecutive seasons. They are already 40 home runs in the hole in 2013. Let's just tack this year onto the total and call it 19 in a row where they have hit fewer home runs than their opponents.

-- Over those 18 and a half seasons, the Royals opponents have hit 910 more home runs than the Royals.

-- The Royals have been outhomered by their opponents at home for 19 consecutive seasons. Again, the deficit is massive (19 home runs with 40 games remaining) so let's bump this to 20 years in a row where the Royals will have hit fewer home runs at home than the visitors.

-- In those 19 and a half seasons, the Royals opponents have hit 492 more home runs at The K than the Royals.

-- In the Dayton Moore Era (starting in 2007) the Royals have hit 286 fewer home runs than their opponents. They have hit 138 fewer at The K than the visitors.

-- You have to go back to 2006 to find a year when the Royals hit more home runs at home than on the road.

Former hitting coach Jack Maloof famously remarked that other teams have their home run swing down when they visit The K and there wasn't a "reward" in hitting home runs.

During the original configuration of Kauffman Stadium (1973-1994) the Royals didn't have an issue finding their home run swing. In that span, the Royals were outhomered by the opposition by a grand total of four home runs. And while the former Royals Stadium certainly was a difficult place to homer during that time, the Royals had no issue finding their home run swing when they went on the road.

It's not a coincidence the Royals best teams played in that era.

Something tells me that if the Royals could figure out a way to develop a power hitter or two, the home and road splits would even up again. Call me crazy, but that could really help an offense.

I find the data interesting. After looking at the table, what are everyone's thoughts?