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Have the Boston Red Sox been the victim of an unfair field advantage for the Tampa Bay Rays?
Data from Chris Sale’s last start at Tropicana Field has prompted questions about the pitcher’s mound at Rays Stadium, according to Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Sale discovered after leaving on September 1 that the average extension – that is, how far in front of the rubber he released the ball – on his four-seam fastball was almost six inches closer to the point. that the average release point he’s recorded for all but one starting his career with the Red Sox.
“I don’t know what it is,” Sale said, per Speier. “I’ve heard rumors about things going on with Hawk-Eye (the data tracking system) and maybe other scenarios. I don’t know if there are any conspiracies about this as well.
Data showed that 13 other Red Sox pitchers had greater reach at Tropicana Field in 2021 than at other stadiums. The same goes for the Tampa pitchers, who are about 2 1/2 inches more extension at home than on the road, the MLB’s biggest home / road separation, according to Speier.
Mark Tompkins of the Tampa Bay Times Red Sox players photographed measuring the Tropicana Field mound on September 2. Major League Baseball used lasers to examine the height and slope of the Rays’ mound and found no evidence that it did not meet specifications, Speier reported on Wednesday, citing multiple MLB sources.
So what gives?
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