The science behind storing baseballs in humidors

[El Presidente]

https://www.closetbox.com/blog/science-behind-storing-baseballs-humidors/

The science behind storing baseballs in humidors

Brittany Anas • July 11, 2017

At home, you probably don’t put much thought into where you stash your kids’ fast-pitch softballs or little league baseballs. As long as you’re not tripping over them, those balls are just fine where they’re at—in the trunk of your SUV or tossed in a bin that lives in the garage, right?

But the professionals? They’re putting a lot of thought into baseball storage. In fact, two MLB teams—the Colorado Rockies and now the Arizona Diamondbacks—are turning to humidors to store baseballs. The Colorado Rockies have been employing the strategy for about 15 years. And now the Diamondbacks announced this season they too have plans to install a grandiose humidor at Chase Field.

The idea is keeping baseballs in a humidor helps prevent balls from drying out, and thus carrying farther in high-elevation parks, ultimately driving up the game scores. In fact, Coors Field had earned the nickname “Coors Canaveral” in the early-2000’s, before humidors were used for storage, because so many home runs were being scored in the park. It raises the question: Are pitchers reluctant to play for teams in high-elevation cities because it could skew their stats, pulling down their “Earned Run Average,” or ERA?

Here at Closetbox, we geek out on the science of storage, so let’s dig a little deeper.

• First a primer: A row of seats at Coors Field, where the Rockies play, are denoted as sitting at exactly 5,280 feet, or a Mile High. That’s a reminder that Denver’s air is 20 percent less dense than air at sea level, which means batted balls can travel further and how Coors Field has become known as a hitter’s heaven. The balls stored in a humidifier, which is legal under the MLB rules, are denser and a little bit larger.
• By storing balls in humidors, the Rockies have reduced the distance fly balls travel by about 3 to 4 feet, according to John Bohn, an associate research professor in physics at the University of Colorado, and Ed Meyer, a former doctoral candidate at the time of the study. The Nov. 2008 study was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and it was published in the American Journal of Physics.
• Since many home runs just barely make it over the fence, decreasing the distance of fly balls by 3 to 4 feet could reduce the number of home runs scored in the park by 20 percent er game, according to Bohn.
• But, prior to employing humidors, pitchers in Coors Field had complained about how slippery balls were. “An intriguing possibility is that the humidified balls are easier to grip, allowing pitchers to put a greater spin on a humid ball than on a dry one,” Bohn says. Prior to the humidors, pitchers dreaded throwing in Denver because the thin air was blamed for the lack of break of a curveball or slider, Bohn said.
• Another scientist, Alan Nathan, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, though, makes a point that the humidors could have even a bigger effect. For the first seven seasons at Coors, Nathan points out, there were 3.20 home runs hit per game compared to 1.93 per Rockies away game. When the Rockies began storing their baseballs in a humidor at 50 percent relative humidity, compared to the more typical 30 percent humidity in Denver, the ratio decreased. From 2002 to 2010, the home run hits per game went down to 2.39, which is a 25 percent reduction.

 

 

[PigFish]

Hmmm... Cigars like balls, I like 'em dryer over clammy and damp!

-the Pig

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

https://www.closetbox.com/blog/science-behind-storing-baseballs-humidors/

The science behind storing baseballs in humidors

Brittany Anas • July 11, 2017

At home, you probably don’t put much thought into where you stash your kids’ fast-pitch softballs or little league baseballs. As long as you’re not tripping over them, those balls are just fine where they’re at—in the trunk of your SUV or tossed in a bin that lives in the garage, right?

But the professionals? They’re putting a lot of thought into baseball storage. In fact, two MLB teams—the Colorado Rockies and now the Arizona Diamondbacks—are turning to humidors to store baseballs. The Colorado Rockies have been employing the strategy for about 15 years. And now the Diamondbacks announced this season they too have plans to install a grandiose humidor at Chase Field.

The idea is keeping baseballs in a humidor helps prevent balls from drying out, and thus carrying farther in high-elevation parks, ultimately driving up the game scores. In fact, Coors Field had earned the nickname “Coors Canaveral” in the early-2000’s, before humidors were used for storage, because so many home runs were being scored in the park. It raises the question: Are pitchers reluctant to play for teams in high-elevation cities because it could skew their stats, pulling down their “Earned Run Average,” or ERA?

Here at Closetbox, we geek out on the science of storage, so let’s dig a little deeper.

• First a primer: A row of seats at Coors Field, where the Rockies play, are denoted as sitting at exactly 5,280 feet, or a Mile High. That’s a reminder that Denver’s air is 20 percent less dense than air at sea level, which means batted balls can travel further and how Coors Field has become known as a hitter’s heaven. The balls stored in a humidifier, which is legal under the MLB rules, are denser and a little bit larger.
• By storing balls in humidors, the Rockies have reduced the distance fly balls travel by about 3 to 4 feet, according to John Bohn, an associate research professor in physics at the University of Colorado, and Ed Meyer, a former doctoral candidate at the time of the study. The Nov. 2008 study was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and it was published in the American Journal of Physics.
• Since many home runs just barely make it over the fence, decreasing the distance of fly balls by 3 to 4 feet could reduce the number of home runs scored in the park by 20 percent er game, according to Bohn.
• But, prior to employing humidors, pitchers in Coors Field had complained about how slippery balls were. “An intriguing possibility is that the humidified balls are easier to grip, allowing pitchers to put a greater spin on a humid ball than on a dry one,” Bohn says. Prior to the humidors, pitchers dreaded throwing in Denver because the thin air was blamed for the lack of break of a curveball or slider, Bohn said.
• Another scientist, Alan Nathan, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, though, makes a point that the humidors could have even a bigger effect. For the first seven seasons at Coors, Nathan points out, there were 3.20 home runs hit per game compared to 1.93 per Rockies away game. When the Rockies began storing their baseballs in a humidor at 50 percent relative humidity, compared to the more typical 30 percent humidity in Denver, the ratio decreased. From 2002 to 2010, the home run hits per game went down to 2.39, which is a 25 percent reduction.

 

 

and you told me game of thrones was boring.

[LordAnubis]

So... baseball in the rain has less home runs?

[stogieluver]

Piggy, I am shocked that your answer to a "humidity" topic was so brief. 

 

[ShortFatHokie]

I'm surprised that MLB allows that to be done since they are so particular about what can and can't be done to a baseball. Sounds like it should be against all rules set forth by MLB...

[garbandz]

Just do not under inflate them..........

[scap99]

15 hours ago, PigFish said:

Hmmm... Cigars like balls, I like 'em dryer over clammy and damp!

-the Pig

Haha, I'm sure you meant BASEballs, but your comment would be right at home in an out of context thread!!

 

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I dunno ... I don't like my balls clammy and damp, either. 

[getnon]

interesting

[canadianbeaver]

So I thought this thing might show up on that site that shows they proved the story to be fake?

But nooooooooo...

This instead.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2017/04/17/chase-field-humidor-reduce-home-runs/100583370/

(Photo of above)

CB