ROANOKE, Va. – We are now one week into the 2024 Major League Baseball season.
Whether you’re a fan of the Bronx Bombers, Atlanta Braves or reigning champs, Texas Rangers, it’s an exciting time of year.
If you’re a weather nerd, like me, you get to marvel at one particular ballpark.
We all know that the wind speed and direction can play a big role on the long ball, much like it does in Chicago.
Temperature can too, as warm air is less dense and tends to favor more home runs.
So, I gave three co-workers a multiple-choice question.
- Which ballpark is most affected by the weather?
• a) Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
• b) Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
• c) Truist Park (Atlanta Braves)
• d) Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
Two of the three co-workers I asked answered correctly: d) Coors Field (Colorado Rockies).
Coors Field is located roughly a mile above sea level.
When you go up in elevation, the air pressure drops. Therefore, the density of the air drops and allows the ball to travel farther than in most situations.
This is all according to the Ideal Gas Law - P = ρRT (where P is pressure and ρ is density).
The left and right field fences at Coors Field are built 20 feet farther away from home plate than the average MLB park.
Of course, there are other more obvious factors that impact the flight of a baseball such as the type of player, type of pitch, etc., but this is one that I found to be unique and interesting.
I hope you did too! Go Yankees!