<p>Baseballs started flying in June -- and it wasn't simply warmer weather -- it might be a manufacturing error! Eno and DVR explain why changes in drag on the baseball have a significant impact on home runs, and how Major League Baseball's revelation of a manufacturing error may provide some clues as to why we have seen so much variation in how the ball has played throughout the first half of the season. With drag recently returning to the same levels we saw in 2019, they wonder if we're going to see a massive uptick in home runs throughout the second half.</p><br><p>Story from Eno Sarris &amp; Evan Drellich 'MLB sees no link between factory defect and liveliest baseball since year of the homer in ‘19'</p><p>Gift Link: <a href="https://theathletic.lnk.to/TA26Ball" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://theathletic.lnk.to/TA26Ball</a></p><br><p><strong>Rundown</strong></p><p>0:17 Breaking News: MLB Reveals Manufacturing Error with Ball</p><p>1:44 A Sudden Change: Drag Significantly Dropped in Recent Weeks</p><p>6:40 Don’t Forget 2019 When 6,776 Home Runs Were Hit</p><p>9:19 Hitters and Pitchers Notice and React to Ball Changes</p><p>12:20 Will Barrels Recover?</p><br><p>Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social</p><p>Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social</p><p>e-mail: [email protected]</p><br><p>Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe</p><p>Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels</p><br><p>Hosts: Derek VanRiper &amp; Eno Sarris</p><p>Editor: Jason Potere</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>