ROANOKE, Va. – For baseball fans, it’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year. That comes in October!
One of the most exciting things in the sport is watching guys like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez and Freddie Freeman round the bases after a loud crack of the bat sends the ball over the fence.
It may seem obvious that the weather plays a huge role in baseball. Automatically, you think of wind and rain.
Happy #OpeningDay
— Chris Michaels (@WSLS_Michaels) March 30, 2023
Here's how the weather plays a big role on the long ball! @MLB @TalkinYanks pic.twitter.com/P9Zo384PWK
It’s the temperature and air pressure that can sometimes be the difference between a routine fly ball and John Sterling’s famous “It is high! It is far. It is gone!”
Warmer air is less dense than cold air, which means the ball can travel farther.
You tend to see more homeruns hit in the summer because of this.
You also see more homeruns being hit in Coors Field - home of the Colorado Rockies. At a mile above sea level, the air pressure is lower than most ballparks. Therefore, it is less dense.
If you look at the ballpark’s dimensions, you’ll notice that right and left field are 20 feet farther than your average ballpark. They’ve even added taller fences, but it’s no match for the atmosphere (it seems).
Whether you’re pulling for Trea Turner, Ronald Acuña or Vlad Guerrero Jr., we hope you enjoy the start to yet another season in Major League Baseball.