More than 140 million Americans have been affected by July's heatwave, and no professional sport has been impacted more than baseball.
Just ask the umpires. If you dare.
As the heat index rises, the number of Major League Baseball ejections skyrockets. That's according to a study reported on Weather.com (via the Wall Street Journal).
Believe it: The number of ballplayers getting the heave-ho from the men in blue really has gone up over the years with the summer heat.
Study results show that in cooler weather -- below 50 degrees -- just 5.8 ejections happen for every 100 games played from 2001 to 2011. When it's slightly less chilly -- between 50 and 59 degrees -- banishments went to 7.2 for every 100 games played. In mild temps -- from 60-69 degrees -- 8.4 ballplayers were sacked.
Now some would say that perfect weather to enjoy a hot dog and a game is 70-to-79 degrees, but those temps aren't good enough to make umpires smile. They booted 8.6 percent of players in those conditions.
The numbers just keep going higher and higher: Exactly 10 percent of players were chucked in temps between 80 and 89, and a stunning 11.4 percent for all games played in heat of 90 degrees and above.
In other words: Umpires can't take the heat, so players must get out of the kitchen.
