/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15818935/172526178.0.jpg)
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?