An open air stadium in Texas is usually more beneficial to hitters than pitchers because of heat, humidity and wind, said Matt Lanza, managing editor and meteorologist for Spacecityweather.com.
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At game time, temperatures in Houston are about 73 degrees with humidity around 65 percent and winds moving southeast at 9 miles per hour, according to weather.com. The wind and humidity, though not uncomfortable for most Houstonians tonight, could give a small boost to a ball that might otherwise die at the edge of the warning track.
"There's kind of this logic that a lot of people have, like, 'Oh, when the air is really humid, I go outside, it just feels like it's weighing down and the air must be real heavy,"' Lanza said. "And the reality is actually the opposite. Humid air is lighter and drier. And because of that, the ball can actually carry -- when there's higher humidity -- a little bit further than it could on a dry day."
However, the overall impact could be somewhat muted because of the fall weather in Houston right now, he said.
"So with the roof open, and with the way temperatures are and humidity is right now, it's not going to be that dissimilar, just because of the time of year... You know, you can tell sometimes you walk outside, it's like, 'Oh, it doesn't feel too much different outside than it does inside...' But with the one exception of having a little bit of a tailwind to the ball, that maybe helped push it out to left field."
An open roof could make a bigger difference if the Astros were required to open Minute Maid Park's roof during the summer, Lanza said.
While Minute Maid Park graded as the 11th most hitter-friendly stadium in the league, according to baseballsavant.com's three-year rolling average, the stadium ranks 8th with the roof open, which is one spot behind the Braves' stadium Truist Park.
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The Astros would have to look no further than their division rivals in Arlington, the Rangers, who played at open-air stadium Globe Life Park until 2020. Globe Life Park consistently graded as a park that was more beneficial to hitters, according to Baseball Reference. The Rangers now play in Globe Life Field, which has a retractable roof and is much more pitcher-friendly than its predecessor, according to Baseball Reference.
Lanza says the ball also travels further in warmer climates like the South and Southwest.
"During the summertime, I mean, you'd probably have more home runs in Houston than in any other ballpark... And, you know, the same goes for for places like Arizona, or Miami, you know. You've got the desert air in Arizona, you've got a similar sort of atmosphere in Miami, that you have here in Houston," Lanza said.
chris.shelton@chron.com
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An open roof at Minute Maid Park is advantage to Astros, Braves hitters in World Series, meteorologist says - Houston Chronicle
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