AUSTIN (KXAN) — There are at least two kinds of baseball fans. First, there are those who like pitching battles where the hurlers dazzle the opposition batters with their tosses. Then, there are the fans who love to see home runs and other extra base hits that end with scores like 10 to 9.
Some research has been done on this very subject. What they concluded will make the fans of high-scoring games happy. Baseball seasons are heating up in nearly all major league cities. Since 1970, average temperatures during the Major League Baseball season have warmed by 2.8°F across 27 MLB cities.
For those who are not a fan of the National Pastime, there are two teams in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Why is this happening? Warmer air is less dense. This makes baseballs fly farther. This has caused a measured increase in the number of home runs.
Climate Central’s study found that warming caused by the warming climate added an average of 58 home runs per year in the decade of 2010 to 2019. That’s an increase of 1%. It’s a minor increase, yes, but an increase nonetheless.
The study looked into the future to determine that the number of baseballs leaving the park could triple by the 2050s, with as many as 182 home runs annually. This scenario assumes that global goals to reduce planet-warming carbon pollution are met.
Climate Central’s analysis is based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
All this to say that the warming planet is not only affecting those who play the game and those who cheer for them, but the baseballs, too.
Taking into account the baseball season runs from March 30 through Oct. 1, 26 of the 27 cities have seen that average of 2.8°F. The exception was Los Angeles, home to the American League Angels and the National League Dodgers, which experienced no change in baseball season temperatures since 1970.
The top two teams experiencing the highest change come from two different parts of North America. Topping the list is Toronto, which has seen an increased temperature of 5.4°. Second? Let’s travel down to Arizona. Phoenix has seen an increased temperature of 5.0°.
Houston was third at +4.3°. Remember, the Astros play in Daikin Park. The stadium does have a retractable roof. Texas was ninth. The Rangers play in Globe Life Field. It, too, has a retractable roof.
The numbers tell a story that those who enjoy a pitcher’s battle may not see as many of those games as they would like. But, hey, a battle featuring gargantuan home runs is not such a bad thing, either.
Play ball!