Baseball may see more home runs thanks to climate change


Warmer days are making your favorite batters even better.
Climate change has actually caused more home runs during baseball games, a new study has found. Since 2010, 500 home runs were linked to warmer temperatures due to climate change — and that number is only expected to rise. "As soon as it gets warm, the ball carries a lot better," Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez told The Washington Post.
Warmer air is less dense than cool air because the molecules are moving faster away from each other, The Associated Press writes. In turn, the air is thinner and has less resistance allowing balls to fly further. "Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball," remarked study co-author Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth climate scientist.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 500 home runs linked to climate change only account for approximately one percent of total home runs, so other factors including skill and strategy still play a significant role, the Post continues. However, the study does serve as a reminder for "all of the ways in which climate change is going to touch just about every aspect of our lives," Mankin explained. The United Nations has warned against allowing temperatures to rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The impacts both ecologically and on the field will intensify with each bit of additional warmth.
"Global warming is going to reshape so many of the things that we care about in so many pernicious and subtle ways," said study lead author Chris Callahan. He adds that while the changes in baseball are not "a civilization-ending crisis," they still indicate "the way that we have reshaped our lives due to our greenhouse gas emissions."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care system
In the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumn
The Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards
-
Endangered shark meat is being mislabeled and sold in the US
Under the radar It could cause both health and ecological problems
-
Canyons under the Antarctic have deep impacts
Under the radar Submarine canyons could be affecting the climate more than previously thought
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th test
speed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
NASA is moving away from tracking climate change
The Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Colorado
speed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's study
Speed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
The Explainer Human extinction could potentially give rise to new species and climates