I’m an afficionado of Opening Day - I Love It - as a Cub Fan I know it’s the only first pitch of the season that the Cubs are guaranteed to be in first place. I’ve been to many April games at Wrigley Field (one was snowed out - DoubleHeader the next day - WOOT!) and I have a semi-tradition of Opening Day at Wrigley with my Dad.
The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan recently wrote (registration required) about some Cub hitters having hot Arizona performances who then struggled in the first month of the regular season. He implies that Wrigley has a lot of blame for the poor performances …
They’ll then play 14 of their next 16 games at Wrigley Field, where the wind traditionally blows in during April, making it a pitching-friendly park.
Hmmm - I’ve always wondered about that … is it time for a deeper dive? You betcha. Let’s take a look at how friendly the Friendly Confines have been in April - and other months as well. All stats from 2004-6.
Wrigley 2004-6
| Month | AVG | SLG | AB/HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 0.259 | 0.449 | 24.2 |
| May | 0.239 | 0.388 | 30.3 |
| June | 0.269 | 0.460 | 25.5 |
| July | 0.267 | 0.460 | 23.9 |
| August | 0.274 | 0.453 | 26.4 |
| Sept | 0.255 | 0.421 | 28.4 |
| Total | 0.260 | 0.437 | 26.4 |
Well, didn’t expect that - now did you? I didn’t. Batting and slugging-wise, two months are actually worse than April at Wrigley - May and September.
More shocking - when it comes to Home Runs, April has the 2nd Best AB/HR ratio of any month at Wrigley. And it’s not too far off from being better than July.
Let’s keep going … over the past three Aprils, Wrigley stacks up pretty impressively versus the MLB average.Â
April 2004-6
| Stadium | AVG | SLG | HR | AB/HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrigley Field | 0.259 | 0.449 | 93 | 24.23 | 4.79 |
| MLB Average | 0.265 | 0.422 | 74 | 32.16 | 4.48 |
Batting Average is down slightly, but Slugging % is up and the AB/HR ratio is astoundingly favorable compared to the rest of the league. And ERA is even higher than the rest of MLB!Â
Don’t believe the hype about Wrigley being a pitchers’ park in April. Where has the dreaded inbound April wind gone the last three years? It’s certainly not on the North Side of Chicago. Is it Climate Change? Is it ManBearPig? Someone get Al Gore on this.
Ahh, Wrigley Field - there is nowhere else like it in the world. The Ivy and the Agony. The world’s largest permanent outdoor bar. The Scoreboard. Ronnie Woo-Woo. The Bleachers. Harry Caray (RIP). Anything but the horrific baseball played there, right? I miss living a few blocks away. I went to college two El stops South of the park. The first date I had with my wife was a Cubs/Rockies game (Nick the Greek can confirm that - he was there). While we’re talking Wrigley, let’s see how it stacks up Home Run Derby style. There’s been a lot of dingers at the 4th most prolific HR Park the past three years …
- Cubs - 317 HR, 26.16 AB/HRÂ Â Â Â MLB Home - 262.9 HR, 31.00 AB/HR
- Vis. -Â Â 317 HR, 26.71 AB/HRÂ Â Â Â MLB Vis. - 261.9 HR, 32.64 AB/HR
… Wrigley is pretty friendly, no matter whose laundry you’re wearing. It was especially hospitable to visitors in 2006 as the Cubs gave up 44 more HR than they hit last season - which probably talks to the Cubs pitching woes more than Wrigley. And that explains why my bleacher brethren had sore shoulders in record numbers last year, too.
Away from Wrigley, the Cubs are a little better than the MLB averages, but they seem to be a little homesick …
- Home - 317 HR, 26.16 AB/HR
- Away - 278 HR, 30.59 AB/HR
And the Cubs’ 2007 HR threats the past 3 Years?
Cub Sluggers
| Wrigley | Away | AB/HR | |||
| Player | HR | AB/HR | HR | AB/HR | DIFF |
| Derrek Lee | 47 | 14.77 | 39 | 17.44 | 2.67 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 47 | 16.17 | 58 | 14.55 | -1.62 |
| Jacque Jones | 12 | 22.42 | 15 | 17.61 | -4.82 |
We’re just full of surprises today. Lee only hits the long ball a bit more frequently at Wrigley while Ramirez and Jones actually hit HR better on the road. I left Alfonso Soriano out of the equation as he’s only played six games at Wrigley, and three of those were in 2003 as a member of the Yankees.
All stats calculated via the Day to Day Database at Baseball Musings.
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March 30th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Yes, this is quite suprising. What this study doesn’t consider is all the “hot air” in the stands. This is especially troublesome in April, when the Cub faithful forget about the past century of miserable baseball teams and think ‘this is the year’! But by May, they are already selling their tickets to the opponent’s fans thus explaining the higher # in May. But Cub fans return in July when Jim Hendry makes the deal that is going to “turn things around”(see Nomar Garciaparra). Can’t wait till next year.
March 30th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Hate to break it to you, but if the Cards win the Sunday Night opener, the Cubs are already a 1/2 game back before ever throwing a pitch in 2007.
March 30th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
That doesn’t count does it?
Crud.
March 30th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
For my fellow Cubs Haters, the following is a gaze into the crystal ball to see what’s in store for the 2007 Cubs season:
>April 9 - Cub fans are delighted with the new official Cub Corn King hotdog. The new hotdog has a purplish green tint, replacing the standard green hotdog that has been served at Wrigley for the past 3 decades.
>April 15 - Cub manager Lou Pinella is arrested in Chicago for driving under the influence. (Please insert LaRussa Joke here)
>April 20 - Derek Lee demands to have his contract renegotiated.
>April 25 - Brewer fans egg the Harry Carey statue after the 14 - 0 Brewer victory at Wrigley Field.
>May 18 - Back-to-back shots by Thome and Konerko take out the Cubs scoreboard. The Cubs track down the fan who used to do the Shawn-o-meter and hire him to manage their new hand-held cardboard scoreboard.
>May 20 - A mischieveous Sox fan youngster flushes a cherry bomb down the right field flush toilet at Wrigley. The 100 year old plumbing can’t take the blast. The entire Wrigley urinal trough system is disabled.
>May 21 - The Cubs announce an agreement with the Cubby Bear Inn to provide washroom facilities. Cub fans needing to use the washroom during Cub home games will be shuttled free of charge over to the Cubby Bear Inn urinal trough.
>June 12 - Cub manager Lou Pinella is ejected by the umpiring crew after pulling a flask out of his back pocket and taking a swig while changing pitchers in the 7th inning of the Cub - Mariner game.
>June 13 - In his first game back from his steroid suspension, Mark Prior breaks his right leg while covering first base on a ground ball. He is lost for the season.
>June 24 - Moose Skowran breaks into the Cub broadcast booth and pounds the sh*t out of Cub announcer Bob Brenly. Skowran says he’s had enough of Brenley’s AL bashing. Chicago police arrest Brenley and charge him with assaulting Skowran’s fist with his nose.
>June 24 - the White Sox beat the Cubs 23 - 0, sweeping the season series 6 - 0.
>July 26 - Lou Pinella is arrested for driving under the influence in St. Louis.
(Please insert next La Russa Joke Here)
>July 27 - the Cubs give Derek Lee a 3 year $100 million contract extension with a $50 million signing bonus.
>July 28 - Derek Lee shatters his right knee trying to steal third base.
>July 31 - Lou Pinella is arrested for public intoxication after urinating on the Harry Carey statue outside Wrigley Field.
>August 5 - Derek Lee undergoes major reconstructive surgery on his right knee.
>August 6 - Ron Santo loses it in the bottom of 4th inning of the Cub-Astro game after the Astros score 9 runs. He is taken to a mental health facility and placed under observation.
>August 8 - the Cubs announce Ron Santo will not be returning this year. Randy Hundley will be replacing Santo in the radio booth.
>August 14 - In the third inning of the Cubs - Reds game, Adam Dunn is called out on strikes. Lou Pinella, still inebriated from the night before, forgets what team he is managing and storms out of the dugout to argue balls and strikes. Pinella is ejected from the game after calling the umpire a m’f'er.
>August 16 - Kerry Wood keeps his promise and pitches in a simulated game. Relieving Wade Miller, he gives up 8 runs in the 7th, but Cub coaches are encouraged.
>August 17 - Experiencing inflammation in his right shoulder, Kerry Wood is placed on the simulated disabled list.
>August 29 - Aramis Ramirez fouls a pitch off the upper deck facade behind first base. The impact of the foul ball causes a discharge of concrete from the upper deck, which breaks through the protective netting, injuring 33 fans in the lower grandstands.
>August 30 - Mayor Daley condemns Wrigley Field.
>August 31 - The Cubs announce the remainder of their home games will be played in Thillens Field. Cub homer production takes a dramatic dip as their hitters have a hard time adjusting to the larger dimension of the new ballpark.
>September 5 - Aramiz Ramirez is suspended for 50 games after testing positive for steroids.
>September 12 - Cub manager Lou Pinella and radio announcer Randy Hundley are arrested for public intoxication in Houston Texas.
>September 25 - Jason Marquis loses his 20th game.
>September 26 - Ted Lilly loses his 20th game.
>September 27 - Cub pitching coach Larry Rothschild is given a 3 year contract extension.
>September 29 - Alfonso Soriano commits his 60th error of the season.
>September 30 - Alfonso Soriano strikes out for the 196th time, breaking Adam Dunn’s signle season mark.
>September 30 - The Cubs finish out the season with a loss to the Pirates, finishing at 51 - 111.
>October 12 - Cub general manager Jim Hendry holds a press conference and vows to spend money in the free agent market. He also announce a major Wrigley Field upgrade: the installation of a new splash-proof trough urinal system.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:01 pm
I never realized that Cardinal fans were so much like White Sox fans - more concerned with the doings of a last place team than one that just won the World Series.
Of course, now that Game 1 is over … the Cards are a Last Place Team.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Looks like the cubs couldn’t wait to make their way into last place in the NL Central.
Wasn’t it Zambrano that promised a Cy Young award and a World Series victory this year? That is almost as funny as the proclamation of Barmes as the greatest SS in the Majors.
5 IP, 6H, 5 ER, 5 BB and only 2 K’s. That is a wonderful way to start cashing in on that promise to the Cubs fans….