MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz discusses how different weather conditions impact baseball

MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz discusses how different weather conditions impact baseball

FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver sat down with legendary pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz about the unique relationship between weather and America's favorite pastime. 

The smell of freshly mowed grass, the thud of a baseball hitting a catcher's mitt, the crack of the bat— the sights, smells and sounds of baseball.

And while temperatures across the country have finally begun to warm up as spring begins to take hold, for baseball fans, spring doesn't truly begin until the first pitch is thrown on MLB's Opening Day.

Now that baseball is back, FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver sat down with legendary pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz about the unique relationship between weather and America's favorite pastime. 

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Battling the elements

As a pitcher who threw 3,473 big league innings, Smoltz says temperature, humidity and rain played a big role in how he approached hitters.

"The key is having a grip… Some of the toughest places to have a grip is where it's dry or cold or obviously rain[ing]," said Smoltz. "When it's dry, it really affects your pitches in an adverse way, because you don't have anything to really kind of give you that grip."

Humid conditions allow a baseball to travel farther, since moist air is less dense than dry air, creating an advantage for hitters.

"I learned something [broadcasting] in the ‘Field of Dreams’," Smotlz said. "That field in Iowa is built right outside the corn stalks. I learned that [cornfields] create humidity. We had a couple of games where they couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark. It was jumping."

He added that back when pitchers used to bat in the National League, they used to get a sense of the weather's effects on hitters while taking batting practice.

"You got that sense at the plate," he said.

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Baseball in the elements

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The importance of staying warm

Cold weather was a nemesis for Smoltz.

"Some of my worst games were when it was cold," recounted Smoltz. "In Cleveland in 1995, I couldn't feel the baseball. You don't want a pitcher saying the ball feels like a cue ball."

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24 Oct 1995: John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves blows on his hands during a game against the Cleveland Indians at the Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Braves 7-6.

(Getty Images)

And that was indeed the case in that fateful game.

"It felt like a cue ball to me that day and I didn't last very long. I lasted 2 2/3 (innings). And I told my manager every inning, I'm like, 'I can't feel the baseball,'" he said. "Worst feeling in the world for a pitcher." 

And while the championship is won in October, both hitters and pitchers live for summer.

"When you get in the summer. Nobody has a disadvantage. Everyone's kind of getting used to the elements that are pretty conditionally the same," said Smoltz.

Windy City wreaks havoc

Swirling winds aren't just difficult for little leagues to navigate, major league players also factor in the wind in their approach to the game.

"Wind comes into play in affecting the way your pitches react and obviously the way they react off the bat," said Smoltz.

Chicago's Wrigley Field, which opened back in 1914, is notorious for its fickle winds.

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"When Wrigley Field is Wrigley Field… when it's the summer, and it's blowing out, you can't keep balls [in the ballpark]," he said. "And you change the way you pitch. You change the way the elements dictate to you as a pitcher how you're going to navigate that game."

And the numbers seem to bear that out.

According to MLB.com, over the last two seasons, Wrigley Field had more than 250 baseballs that were moved more than 25 feet by the wind – far more than any other big league stadium.

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Keys to being a better player in bad weather 

When asked about the adversity of dealing with inclement weather, Smotz said mental adjustments are key.

"There's times where you try to beat the rain or you see it's come in and you get out of your mechanics, you get out of your mode," he said. "And if you're able to kind of, I call it grind your way through and mentally adjust because we all want to have the best chance to be successful."

For Smoltz, despite the big impact weather can have on a ballgame, he doesn't think it provides an overall advantage for the offense or defense. 

"Over 162 games, it levels out for the hitter and pitcher," he said. "Pretty, pretty fair."

John Smoltz won the 1995 World Series with the Atlanta Braves, made eight All-Star appearances and won 213 games. He is an MLB analyst for FOX Sports.