Monday, April 8, 2013

Does No More Windows = Lots More Home Runs?

There were a lot of home runs in the first 6 ball games played at Rogers Centre since Windows restaurant was converted to an open air patio. 23 to be exact.

That's an average of 3.83 per game,  ranking the dome first in the majors for overall home runs (second in dingers per game to Arlington, but only 3 games have been played there).

Rogers Centre has always been considered a relatively hitter-friendly park, but this apparent spike raised a few eyebrows over the weekend. In particular, Gregg Zaun mentioned during the Jays broadcast that removing the windows may have a positive effect on a batter's ability to hit one out of the park.

I reached out to a good friend of mine - a respected mechanical engineer with extensive experience with the effects of air pressure on enclosed environments (he designs mines) - to see what effect he would expect opening windows to the concourse would have.

The non-scientific document I sent my friend to explain the renovations. Fortunately, he knows how to use the internet and found actual realistic pictures.


Below is his response:

In my professional opinion there is no evidence to suggest that the recent renovations to the Rogers Centre, including the conversion of the Windows restaurant to an open air venue, would possibly effect the physical dynamics of the game at play. In order for 1 mile per hour of air flow to be produced through the open air space (which would have a negligible effect on a baseball in the proximity of the opening) approximately 100,000 cfm of air would have to be exhausted within the restaurant. An exhaust fan this size would be no less than 5 feet in diameter and require a 150 horsepower motor to operate.  

So if it's not physics increasing the number of home runs, then what is it?
Does the patio provide something easier for batters to aim at?
Is there some intangible I'm not aware of?
Is it just the result of an incredibly small sample size? 
Any thoughts? 



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