The only pitching coach employed by the Padres in the Petco Park era, Darren Balsley has his own theory as to why home runs spiked at the traditionally pitcher-friendly park in 2015. Naturally, it’s not quite as involved as some of the hypotheses out there, from the addition of wind-blocking structures in left-center field to a warmer start to the season to the MIA marine layer to the general reduction in the outfield dimensions the last few years.
The 51-year-old Balsley never truly bought into Petco Park receiving so much of the credit owed to his pitching staffs over the years.