The number of home runs this season in Major League Baseball has dropped by about 17 percent compared to last season.

The opinion that "the ball has stopped flying" has become a big topic one after another from the players, but I investigated what the actual situation is.

Last season, there were 5944 home runs, the third highest in history, in the major leagues, but this season, the number of home runs as of the end of May was 4957, a decrease of about 17%.



Compared to the data for the past five years, if the ball hits 105 mph and 169 km or more, there was an average 83% chance of a home run until last season, but this has dropped to 77%. It is clear from the data that the ball is not flying.



Regarding this, the American media said, "Last season, two types of so-called" flying balls "and" non-flying balls "were used in the major leagues, but from this season only" non-flying balls "are used." And point out the reason.



So why did "non-flying balls" come to be used?

That's why it was in the 2019 season three years ago.



This year, the number of home runs in the entire Major League Baseball was 6776, an increase of nearly 1,200 from the previous year, the highest number in history.



2020 will be a shortened season in which the number of games has decreased significantly due to the influence of the new Corona, and in 2021, the Major League Baseball Organization has informed each team that it will introduce a ball with lower repulsion than before in order to reduce the flight distance. about it.



Specifically, the new ball weighs about 3 grams lighter than the traditional ball, and if the traditional ball flies about 114 meters, the new ball will drop 30 to 60 centimeters.

However, due to the influence of the new corona, the production capacity of the ball production factory in Costa Rica in Central America dropped significantly, and it was difficult to supply new balls, so conventional balls were also used in the game last season. about it.



The Major League Baseball hasn't given a detailed explanation of the ball situation, but the American media has contributed to the decline in home runs due to the use of only new low-resilience balls this season when factory production capacity has recovered. I point out that.



How do the players feel?

Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, who hit 46 home runs last season, said, "I personally feel it, and the data shows how many angles I hit and how fast I'm flying. Last year. I think there is an impression that it will fly more than that, "he answered, and he seemed to feel the difference clearly.



In addition, Ward, who is doing well as a teammate, points out that "the new ball has a higher seam height" and "when a home run hit was caught, everyone said that the hit ball did not grow." When you hit a ball that used to be a home run, your efforts should be rewarded, but you have to accept the current situation. "

On the other hand, Padres' Yu Darvish pitcher, who is entering the 11th season in the major leagues, said, "I don't fly compared to 2019, but I think it's getting better these days. Originally, the balls in the major leagues are constant. No, for example, there are days when the seams are high and there are days when they aren't. It changes all the time in the game. "



On top of that, "By doing it in a certain environment, players can determine the degree of their growth. If you change the environment to make baseball interesting, there is a little difficult part. I also revealed my frank thoughts.



As for the ball, it has attracted a great deal of attention, although it does not fly, it flies every time the number of home runs increases or decreases.



In 1901, when the two-league system began, the number of home runs, which was 455 in one season, exceeded 2000 for the first time in 1950, and since the 1990s it has become commonplace to exceed 4000. The trend continues.



This season, when it is said that the ball will not fly, Otani has 13 home runs by the 11th of this month, which is 4 less than the same period last year, but the Yankees judge is the top 24 in both leagues last year. There are various differences depending on the player, such as hitting 9 more hits than at the same time.



We will continue to pay attention to the whereabouts of the ball, what will happen to the home run king battle this season due to the influence of the low repulsion ball that does not fly, and how many home runs will be in the end.