The Craziest ‘Climate Change’ Story Yet

(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – A new study claims climate change will contribute to many additional home runs in Major League Baseball since the warmer temperatures help the ball travel further.

According to the study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, major leaguers will hit “hundreds more” home runs by the year 2100 because of global warming.

The article by Dartmouth College researchers Christopher Callahan and Justin Mankin alleges that 500 additional four-baggers have been scored at MLB since 2010 due to climate change, CNN reports, as cited by The College Fix.

The study entitled “Global warming, home runs, and the future of America’s pastime” forecasts that the Earth’s warming will lead to “10% of all home runs” by the end of the century – unless climate change is mitigated.

The researchers explain the reason for their conclusion is basic physics. Since warm temperatures result in lower air density, “there’s more empty space” between molecules, and balls travel further when hit by a bat.

The study explored “more than 100,000 MLB games and 220,000 individual hits” associated with “unseasonably warm temperatures.”

The scholars discovered a “spike” in home runs in games that took place during the day with clear weather compared with baseball matches that were played at night and in domes.

According to Callahan and Mankin, their conclusions about climate change’s effects on home runs present “evidence to advocate for climate solutions”:

“Global warming is already affecting gameplay for professional baseball. And that’s just going to continue in the future and that effect will get stronger,” Mankin told CNN.

“A billion-dollar organization can also start to put its mic towards advocating for mitigation measures. And I think that’s really important – a powerful sports organization coming out and saying, ‘Hey, this is affecting one of the most important cultural touchstones in America,'” he argued.

According to Callahan, MLB could change two things in the near term to reduce the alleged consequences of global warming on home runs – namely, switching to more domed stadiums and scheduling more night matches.

The report notes that Major League Baseball may have little incentive to take any measures since its game attendance has declined since 2012. This year, the organization has already made significant changes, such as a pitch clock to make games more fun for fans.

It is noted that home runs make up a “huge part of that enjoyment.” The report refers to the MLB’s Steroid Era with the “1998 Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run battle and Barry Bonds’ HR record-setting (73) 2001 season.”

The period restored the league’s stadium attendance after the 1994 strike – despite its “ethical issues.”

MLB refused to comment on the study claiming that a warmer climate means more home runs. Instead, it noted its environmental sustainability efforts, such as the “Green Glove Award” for the team with the highest recycling rate.