When the Baltimore Orioles decided to change the left-field wall for Oriole Park at Camden Yards last season, it was one of the odder decisions we’ve seen for stadium configurations. In a game that was increasingly trending towards more home runs, the Orioles wanted to make homers harder to come by.
The move to push back the wall by nearly 30 feet and make it five feet taller brought upon an eyesore that fans started calling “Walltimore.”
The wall worked as expected with 57 balls remaining in play last season that would have been home runs in 2021. But most of all, it became nearly impossible for left-handed batters to hit home runs to left field.
That changed on Wednesday.
James Outman is the first left-handed hitter to hit a home run over the new left field wall at Camden Yards pic.twitter.com/76VbRgAZF0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 19, 2023
During the fourth inning of the game between the Dodgers and Orioles, James Outman became the first lefty to hit an opposite-field homer over the new wall. It took 1.5 seasons to get to that point. Out of 297 balls hit 350-plus feet by left-handed batters to left field at Oriole Park, Outman’s was the first to leave the yard.
excellent fun fact here
here's a good way to visualize this…
L: the 297 balls hit 350+ feet by left-handed hitters (before today) at Camden Yards since the wall was moved back before the 2022 season
R: James Outman's HR, which went a projected 414 feet https://t.co/BhHMcZn3dI pic.twitter.com/yINtnFhM5D
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 19, 2023
No wonder MLB fans were impressed. It also went to show just how ridiculous that wall really is at Camden Yards.
This was how Twitter reacted
Holy oppo power https://t.co/WSuyLNqx4c
— Jonny's Lasagna ⚾️ (@JLasagna43) July 19, 2023
Every time I see this wall I laugh at how comically far out it is https://t.co/BZLOf6gYeG
— ohtani is a giant (@giantsthunduh) July 19, 2023
He hit it out, man https://t.co/fNpInfi3X9
— Sean Murphy Appreciater (@JDunnah) July 19, 2023
JAMES OUTMAN DOES SOMETHING NEVER DONE IN HISTORY
as the dodgers lose 3-7 https://t.co/L57zWaOYjI
— Xo (@X0AfterHoursX0) July 19, 2023
Any time it takes a season and a half for a type of home run to occur at your ballpark, there might be something wrong with your ballpark 🤔 https://t.co/eshZwOlW4L
— Jackson Roberts (@jrobertsbsbl) July 19, 2023
this is literally criminal https://t.co/Fxhr85cgjR
— hi (@shesworthsaving) July 19, 2023
He hit that ball out, man https://t.co/XEVQ7Hazfd
— Tyler Bauman (@Bau_Down_To_Me) July 19, 2023
He definitely has power https://t.co/xp3giyYi6e
— rubengtz (@ZACGTZ55) July 19, 2023
I love Camden Yards but that wall is awful https://t.co/GkJy83DHFz
— Tobi Altizer (@Tobi_Altizer) July 19, 2023
That's…insane. https://t.co/pDIJbogxZF
— Rob Wong (@RobWong34) July 19, 2023
He really hit it Out, man. https://t.co/mWGggxgBSv
— Sawx South (@SawxSouth) July 19, 2023
bro hit one 390 just for it to be a wall scraper. dumbest stadium https://t.co/18sJULaAXT
— John (@JRic55555) July 19, 2023
That wall will never not be dumb.
