Message #1062359

[Kevrock]

If Coors' dry air is what makes the ball fly, then why is it that Nats Park gets more "lively" when it gets humid?

Or is it the thin air at Coors, and not the dry air?

Or is it that pitchers' breaking balls just don't break as much, and end up center-cut? After all, the Rockies scored lots of runs, too.

http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=428

Quite simply the reason a baseball flies farther at Coors Field is because there are fewer things getting in the ball's way.
Imagine you are in a room packed full of people. If you try to go across the room you'll bump into people and that will slow you down. Now image the same room with a lot fewer people. If you try to go across the room now, it will be a lot easier because there are fewer people to bump into.

The same thing happens to a baseball as it's flying through the air. The baseball collides with air molecules. This causes friction, or "drag", which slows the baseball down. The fewer air molecules there are, the less drag there is, which means the ball goes faster and further.

Denver, Colo., where Coors Field is located, is known as the mile-high city because it is at an altitude of 1 mile (or 5,280ft) above sea level. This high elevation means that the air at Coors field is a lot thinner than the air at sea level. It's even a lot thinner than the air at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona, the second highest major league ballpark at an elevation of 1100 feet. There are a lot fewer air molecules in a cubic meter of air at Coors Field than at any other Major League stadium, especially one at sea level. Because there is so much less air in the way, a ball hit at Coors Field will go about 10% farther than a ball hit with the same force at sea level. This means a 400-foot hit into deep center at sea level would be a 440-foot homerun at Coors Field.

Another reason you might be seeing a lot of home runs at Coors Field is that the thin air affects the ball before it's even been hit. Curve balls won't curve as much, knuckle balls won't waver as much, and sliders won't drop as much. So the thin air can make it easier for the batter to hit some pitches. But don't feel too bad for the pitchers, the thin air will also make their fastballs go faster!