Are MLB balls travelling farther due to Global Warming? Climate Change and its effects on baseball examined

When MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that he would be establishing an 11-person competition committee to review possible changes to the game, everyone knew his reasoning.

By the league's logic, games are too long. The committee's recommendations, such as increasing the size of the bases and establishing a pitch clock, were aimed at getting game time below the three-hour mark.

However, another feature of the 2023 season has been the sheer number of home runs that fans have been treated to. The offensive littany has been so apparent that some are beginning to believe that the MLB has co-opted balls to make them easier for players to hit.

In a recent piece for AP Press, Seth Borenstein brought attention to a recent Bulletin from the American Meterological Society. The study, which featured a roster of Ivy League names, concluded that warmer weather makes for longer-flying baseballs.

Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth College scientist who was involved in the study, put the terms in simple language:

"“Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball,” - Justin Mankin, Dartmouth College

The study highlighted how hot air molecules move quickly in the heat, thinning the air. Cooler air, by contrast, is far more dense and allows for arid balls to slow down mid-air. It is thus no surprise that New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hit more home runs in July than he did in any other month.

The study also backs up claims made that since 2010, over 500 MLB home runs have been directly attributable to warmer climes during games.

"Whether it’s a change in the baseballs themselves, better analytics or more robust player training, many have speculated about what could be behind the upward trend in MLB home runs. But new research has raised another potential factor: climate change." - CNN

The San Francisco Giants recently hit 13 home runs in a three-game mid-week series against the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, a recent game at Fenway Park saw five balls leave the field of play.

A warming globe will mean more MLB home runs in the future

Although the league obviously wants to promote offense at every turn, it is clear that the ramifications of this crisis could be damaging to things far more important than MLB revenue. With the earth getting warmer, we are only more likely to see more home runs, and more dire times for the place that we all call home.