How far does a ball carry at Busch Stadium?
Busch Stadium is the St. Louis Cardinals home park in St. Louis: an open-air park at 460 ft, 400′ to center. Below is what moves fly balls here — elevation, temperature, humidity and wind — plus the current wind for the next game. Carry distances are model estimates and part of the Groundskeeper plan.
Next game conditions
No game at Busch Stadium on the current slate. Today's wind for every park that is playing is on the wind carry today page.
Carry estimate
The carry range is The Cold Line's model estimate of how much today's wind and temperature add to or take away from a fly ball to center. Already a Groundskeeper member? Open the live weather board.
Busch Stadium park facts
- Elevation
- 460 ft above sea level (15th highest of 30 MLB parks)
- Roof
- Open-air
- Center-field bearing
- 62° — home plate faces east-northeast
- Fences (LF · LCF · CF · RCF · RF)
- 336′ · 381′ · 400′ · 381′ · 335′
- Wall heights (LF · CF · RF)
- 8′ · 8′ · 8′
- Surface
- Natural grass
Park notes: Gateway Arch visible beyond CF; Stan Musial statue; Symmetric outfield.
What moves the ball at Busch Stadium
Elevation
Busch Stadium is at 460 ft (15th of 30 by elevation). Elevation has only a slight effect at this height; day-to-day changes in temperature and wind matter more.
Temperature
Warm air is less dense than cold air, so a hot night at Busch Stadium carries better than a cold one with the same wind. Early-season and late-season night games here play noticeably heavier than mid-summer afternoons.
Humidity
Humid air is slightly lighter than dry air, so higher humidity helps carry a little — the opposite of what most people expect. It is a minor factor next to temperature and wind.
Wind
Home plate faces east-northeast, so a wind out of the west-southwest blows straight out to center and helps carry, while a wind from the east-northeast blows in and knocks fly balls down. Cross-winds push the ball toward one line — at Busch Stadium the shorter right-field corner (335′) is where a helping wind shows up first.
Busch Stadium carry questions
How far does a ball carry at Busch Stadium?
Busch Stadium is at 460 ft (15th of 30 by elevation). Elevation has only a slight effect at this height; day-to-day changes in temperature and wind matter more. The Cold Line's game-by-game carry estimate (a model estimate, in feet) is part of the Groundskeeper plan.
Does wind affect home runs at Busch Stadium?
Home plate faces east-northeast, so a wind out of the west-southwest blows straight out to center and helps carry, while a wind from the east-northeast blows in and knocks fly balls down. Cross-winds push the ball toward one line — at Busch Stadium the shorter right-field corner (335′) is where a helping wind shows up first.
Does Busch Stadium have a roof?
No. Busch Stadium is open-air, so wind, temperature and humidity are in play every game.
Where can I see today's wind at Busch Stadium?
This page shows the current wind for the next game at Busch Stadium. The Cold Line's live MLB weather board tracks wind, roof status and conditions for every park on the slate, and Groundskeeper members see the full carry card there.
More: St. Louis Cardinals weather · All MLB ballpark weather · MLB wind carry today