Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt Claims Baseball Isn't Traveling Nearly as Far in Playoffs

The 2019 MLB season can be categorized as the year of the home run. Multiple teams have obliterated records involving the long ball. In fact, the record for total home runs in a season was broken in early September with multiple weeks of baseball still left to play.

The massive uptick in homers has led to claims that the league is using a juiced ball. So while fans were likely expecting the postseason to continue to be a launching pad for baseballs, it's been relatively tame in terms of the long ball. And Cardinals manager Mike Shildt claims there's a big difference between the average distance the ball is traveling in the postseason.

Shildt reiterated a report from his analytics guys that claim the ball is carrying almost five fewer feet this October than in the months prior, a pretty significant decrease.

Of course, there is the possibility that the decrease in travel is due to the colder weather. But the change is so drastic that it's difficult not to think there are other factors in play.

Shildt is skeptical, and it's hard to blame him considering the sudden decrease in homers.