We are in mid August and we are seeing temperatures and especially the humidity pick up. All of teams start in the southeast this week which means high moisture in the air and lots of sticky games. Let’s jump into it!
New York Yankees
The Yankees start an away series against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:35pm EDT tonight. The Rays are playing at Steinbrenner Field this season but we can still use the data from Tropicana Field as the stadiums are no too far from each other and the weather should be relatively similar. The only major difference will be the wind direction on the field. It will be a mostly cloudy night with temperatures in the low-80s and humidity around 78%. Surface winds will be calm while at 150ft, they will be around 11 mph blowing towards center field. Air motion will be sinking until the final innings when it start rising a bit. The air motion shifting will go from, being against hitters, to giving them some more of an advantage and I would expect more home runs to be hit in the last few innings and almost no home runs in the first half of the game. A pretty warm and sticky evening so it will be crucial for everyone to stay cool and hydrated!
The Yankees conclude their away series at 7:35pm EDT on Wednesday against the Rays. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s on this clear evening. Humidity will be around 60-70% with calm surface winds. Winds at 150ft will be around 12 mph blowing towards the right field foul line. This will impact left handed batters as they will be around 40% more likely to hit foul balls than right handed batters. It will be a pretty warm evening despite the sun being quite low for the start of the game and going away after the first few innings. It will be important for players and spectators to drink plenty of water as they will be will likely to sweat more due to the high moisture in the air.
The Yankees start a home series against the rival Boston Red Sox at 7:15pm EDT on Thursday night. Temperatures will be in the low-70s for this partly cloudy night. Humidity will be around 55-60% with calm surface winds. At 150ft, winds will be blowing towards the infield at around 11 mph. Air motion will be rising which will help combat the infield winds but it won’t be enough and fly balls will be pushed further infield. This will likely limit the average number of home runs scored. The Yankees average around 1.5 home runs per game and I expect a 50% chance we see under that amount during this game. Overall, it will be a pretty nice night for players and spectators!
Biloxi Shuckers
The Shuckers start a new home series this week against the Chattanooga Lookouts starting with a game tonight at 6:35pm CDT. It will be a party cloudy evening with temperatures will be in the mid-80s with humidity in the 70% range. Winds at the surface will be calm, while at 150ft, they will be around 10-15 mph pointing towards the third base foul line. Air motion will be sinking and combined with the infield winds, we will likely see fly balls cut short by at least 57 feet (19 feet per 5 mph of wind). This would mean we have a 65% chance of seeing no home runs this game as the Shuckers only average 1 home run per game and the winds will not be in the batters favor. It will be quite hot and steamy out for players which means we may also see more rotations of pitchers. For spectators, be sure to hydrate and stay cool during this fairly warm game!
The Shuckers continue their home series against the Lookouts at 6:35pm CDT on Wednesday. It will be a clear and warm evening with temperatures in the low-80s and humidity around 75-85%. Surface winds will be calm while at 150ft they will be around 5 mph pointing towards left field. Air motion will be slightly rising and with the winds pointing towards left field, this could allow for some close home runs for right handed batters. It will feel sticky otherwise which will make pitchers have less grip on the ball and players will get sweaty easier. Same goes for spectators, expect to feel sticky and warm so be sure to drink plenty of water and try to stay in shady areas.
Thursday night at 6:35pm CDT continues the Shuckers home series against the Lookouts. It will be a partly cloudy and steamy night with temperatures in the mid-80s with humidity around 70-80%. Winds at the surface will be calm while at 150ft, they will be around 7 mph blowing towards the left field foul line. Since the winds will be blowing across the outfield, we can expect right handed batters to experience 30% more foul balls than left handed batters. Another warm and sticky summer night in the southeast!
Birmingham Barons
The Baron start a home series this week against our very own Rocket City Trash Pandas tonight at 7pm CDT. Temperatures will be in the upper-80s to start and cool to the mid-80s by the end of the game. It will be a clear night with almost no winds at the surface and winds of around 5-10 mph at 150ft. These winds will be blowing towards the left field foul line for most of the game which will make it harder for right handed batters to keep the fly balls infield. Air motion will be rising which will help put the extra feet on fly balls. It will be quite the hot one, especially while the sun is out which means players will have to take more breaks and stay hydrated. For spectators, it will feel hot, especially if sitting in the sun, but the lower humidity will allow it to cool down more once the sun sets.
On Wednesday night at 7pm CDT, the Barons play at home against the Trash Pandas. It will be a party cloudy evening with temperatures around 79 degrees during the game. It will be a sticky night with humidity around 75-80%. Air motion will be rising but winds at 150ft will be around 7 mph pointing infield which will cause batters to lose over 20 feet of distance on their fly balls. The moist air may also cause pitchers to lose grip on the ball, and cause them to get tired quicker and last for less innings. Overall, a bit cooler with the temperatures, but the humidity won’t make it feel much cooler this evening.
The Barons play the Trash Pandas on Thursday night at 7pm CDT. Temperatures will be in the low-80s with partly cloudy skies and humidity around 65-75%. Winds will be quite calm at all levels which means air motion will be the bigger factor this game. Air motion will be sinking but will start to become more neutral as the humidity starts to increase after sunset. The sinking air will cause batters to lose extra feet on their fly balls and will give the defense the extra edge they need for the game. I would predicted a 60% chance of no home runs this game due to the sinking air and no help from the winds. It will still feel quite warm and sticky out for spectators and players alike which is normal for mid August.
