Area of fair territory: 106,000 sq. ft.

Area of foul territory: Small

Fences: LF: 19 ft

             CF and RF: 8 feet

Elevation: 660 feet

Who Plays Here: Cleveland Indians (AL)
First Opened: April 4, 1994
Surface: Kentucky Blue Grass

Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Construction: Gateway Economic Development Corporation
Owner: Cuyahoga County
Cost: $175 million
Public financing: $84 million (48%) from a 15-year tax on cigarettes and alcohol in Cuyahoga County
Private financing: $91 million (52%) from the Indians owner

History

     For years, baseball in Cleveland took place in Municipal County Stadium - the "Mistake By the Lake." The park was huge - the distant center field bleachers, known as the Dawg Pound during Cleveland Browns games, were never reached by a baseball - with over 74,000 seats, but attendance was low and the dearth of luxury boxes sapped revenues.

     Jacobs Field is a whole new ballgame.  It's a legitimate world-class, baseball-only ballpark. Though it only has 43,345 seats, attendance boomed once the park became Cleveland's playground.  In their first year at the new park, Cleveland averaged 39,121 fans per game.  The final 28 games before a season-ending strike all sold out, and before the start of the 2000 season, all home games were already sold out.

     Jacobs Field has helped turn the Indians, perennial losers in the 1980s, into winners, and it has given the locals the realization that, jokes aside, Cleveland has hit the big-time.  The ballpark is now the crown jewel of the downtown Cleveland area; in fact, it's hard to imagine the city without it, so significant has Jacobs Field been to the city's rejuvenation.  After buying the Indians in 1986, the owners Richard and David Jacobs committed to building a winning formula in Cleveland.  This plan included an urban ballpark located within the physical boundaries of three main streets in downtown Cleveland.

Analysis

     Hitters love the Jake - the runs pile up in particular during the warm summer months.  The park had the highest batting average and hits factor in the AL in both 1998 and 1999.  The park has a reputation for being a good hitters' park, and indeed it boosts runs and batting average, but the rap for increasing home runs is undeserved.  In fact, between 1996 and 1998, no American League stadium reduced home runs more, and over the last five seasons the park has been almost exactly neutral with respect to runs.

     Cleveland gets awfully cold in the early spring months, and that probably explains the park's overall neutrality.  Also, the 19-foot wall steals home runs, even though it adds to extra-base hits by turning outs into base hits.

Defense: The infield used to be among the best in the majors.  The grass is even and well-kept, and the long infield grass slows down hot grounders.  But over the last couple of years, new dirt had Gold Glovers Roberto Alomar and Omar Vizquel complaining of bad hops due to inconsistency between the thick grass and  the hard dirt.

     There were fewer bad bounces last season, but because both teams put a lot of balls in play there are bound to be lots of chances for errors.  Outfielders have to deal with the high, straight asymmetrical walls.  Speed is needed to cover deep center field, and the corner outfielders have to learn to play the wall because so many balls are hit to the warning track and beyond.

     Indeed, the error factor at the Jake was the highest in the AL in 1999 and third-highest in 1998 and again in 2000.  Most of this is a result of misplays by the Indians, not their opponents: in 2000, Indians infielders committed 30 errors at home and just 22 on the road; opponents committed 51 at the Jake and 47 in their home stadia.  In 1999, the Indians infielders committed 55 errors at home and just 36 on the road; opponent infielders committed 57 at the Jake and 58 in their home parks.  In 1998, both Cleveland and their opponents committed roughly a third more errors at the Jake than in other parks.

     Last year, the Indians committed 46 errors at home and 51 on the road, while opponents committed 38 in the Jake and 57 in their own ballparks.

Who benefits: The Jake helped Juan Gonzalez return to MVP form - during his one and only year as a Tiger, he played in Comerica Park, which has posted the lowest HR factor for righties in both seasons of its existence.  While playing in Jacobs Field, which has had the highest HR factor for righties in the AL for 2 of the last 3 seasons, he hit 22 HR and drove in 74 runs at home, compared to 13 HR and 66 RBI on the road.  His right-handed swing with a slight uppercut is ideal for finding the left-field bleachers, which are a short 325 feet away down the foul line and a very reachable 370 feet in the power alley.

     Left-handed power hitters also benefit, especially if they are extreme pull hitters - left-handed home runs have been boosted here by 20% over the last three seasons, even more than the factor for right-handed home runs.  Jim Thome whacked 30 of his 49 homers at home last season; in 2000, he hit 21 of 37 at home.

     Chuck Finley is the rare pitcher who does better at Jacobs Field than elsewhere; in 2000, he was 10-3 with a 3.20 ERA here, and 6-8 with a 5.11 ERA on the road.  In 2001, he was 4-0 at home (3.62 ERA) but 4-7 on the road (7.32 ERA).

Who gets hurt: Power pitchers get stung here.  Bartolo Colon gave up 19 homers here in 2001, although opponents hit just .254 against him.  He was 5-9 at home, with a 4.27 ERA, but 9-3 on the road with a 3.80 ERA on the road.

     The entire Cleveland staff gave up 84 homers at home and 64 on the road.

Park Factors

Cleveland, Ohio: Left field (NW), East Huron Road; third base (SW), Broadway/Ontario Avenue; first base (SE), Carnegie Avenue; right field (NE), East 9th Street.

Seating Chart

Left field and right field foul poles: 325 feet

Left center:  370

Center field: 410

Right center:  375

Foul territory: small

• Third highest HR factor in AL in 1999, 2001
• Highest RHB HR factor in AL in 1999, 2001
• Third highest LHB HR factor in AL in 2000, 2001
• Lowest error factor in AL in 2001

• Highest hits, batting average factor in the AL in both 1998 and 1999

• Lowest error factor in the AL in 2001

• Third-highest error factor in the AL in 2000
• Second-highest error factor in the AL in 1999
• Third-highest infield error factor in the AL in 1999
• Highest infield error factor in the AL in 1998

• The center field fence is at it's maximum 410 feet away from home plate, but straightaway center is slightly to the right of the 410 sign, and is 405 feet away
• Bullpens are elevated 4 feet 6 inches above playing field so that the fans can see who's warming up
• Occupies 12 acres of the 28 acre Gateway Sports & Entertainment Complex, which also includes the Arena at Gateway, home of the NBA's Cavaliers. The $362-million project ($169 million for Jacobs Field) was intended to revitalize downtown Cleveland.
• Original plan was for a downtown domed stadium, but local voters rejected an increase in property taxes to fund the proposal
• Base of exterior facade consists of Atlantic green granite; remainder is Kasota stone, limestone, and buff-colored brick.