Stanton has gained a reputation as one of today's strongest hitters The fan loved baseball statistics He knew Bolsinger was a skilled pitcher He also knew Stanton was a slugger The fan was a pretty good Little League hitter himself He watched to see Stanton's stance and how he gripped the bat
Bolsinger wound up and threw a fastball Crack Stanton's bat met the ball right at the sweet spot For a split second more than 49 000 fans in the stadium were quiet The ball shot up over left field past the outfield wall and out of the ballpark The crowd went wild They jumped up and clapped They whistled They screamed The young fan in the orange shirt whooped and hollered Stanton's home run traveled 478 feet 146 m STEM IN ACTION Baseball games are fun and exciting They are also great places to watch science technology engineering and math STEM in action More than 170 years ago the first baseball club in New York the Knickerbockers began using formal rules Since then baseball has become one of America's favorite sports Athletes have gotten better at playing and winning by using STEM Even if they don't know it STEM fields are a part of every game How is science a part of baseball Throwing a curveball hitting the sweet spot on a bat and running
the bases are all subject to the laws of physics Understanding concepts such as motion gravity drag and friction helps baseball players perform their best Sports medicine has come a long way too Years ago players with serious injuries had to retire Today breakthroughs in medicine allow athletes to return to baseball even after severe medical problems New information about diet and nutrition helps athletes stay healthy Technology has advanced dramatically since the mid 1800s Fans everywhere can watch the game on television or even on their smartphones Instant replay videos help players improve their game They also help umpires confirm that they made the right call Players use apps to track data and monitor information about their physical progress Uniforms are better because of advances in fabric and materials Engineers play a key role in modern baseball too They use a scientific design process to create the best
Technology has become an important part of modern baseball bats balls gloves helmets and stadiums First they identify a problem that needs to be solved How can wood bats be made so they don't break as easily Which helmet best protects a player's head Next they do research They define the requirements for a good bat or helmet They brainstorm solutions try them out and improve their products Math and baseball have been partners since the game began Every game creates new statistics and averages Fans and players alike keep track of how many earned runs the pitcher allows over nine innings
