Cold spring air can cause a fly ball to drop ten feet short
Dense spring air can turn a home run into a routine out because cold temperatures increase atmospheric thickness, creating enough aerodynamic drag to shorten a ball's flight by ten feet.
The physics of a home run depends heavily on air density. In the cool April air of cities like Cleveland, the atmosphere is roughly 1% to 2% thicker than in the summer heat. This denser air creates significant drag on a baseball traveling at exit velocities over 105 mph, often knocking five to ten feet off a fly ball's distance.
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