MATH DAY Grades 6th—8th 2 Minnesota Twins Math Day Math is everywhere in our world. One of the easiest applications is in the world of sports. Our goal for these lessons is for you and your classmates to see how mathematics is used in baseball while watching a Twins game. The first few questions are best answered using data from the game. The rest of the questions can either be done at the ballpark or in the classroom. Have Fun!!!! 3 In The Field Using the Target Field diagram on page 4, make a mark where both teams hit a ball into play. Keep track of hits that land safely and where the ball is fielded for outs. Record this for as many innings as you want to. Hit = Out = X 1. What percentage of outs stayed in the infield? 2. What percentage of all balls in play (hits and outs) were hits that reached the outfield and/or were home runs? 3. Which defensive position had the majority of the balls in play hit to them? What percentage of the balls hit towards this fielder were outs? 1= pitcher 2= catcher 3= First Base 4= Second Base 5= Third Base 6= Shortstop 7= Left Field 8= Center Field 9= Right Field 4 8 7 9 6 4 5 1 3 2 5 At The Plate 1. Throughout the 2019 season, the Bomba Squad hit 307 home runs as a team. Nelson Cruz led the team with 41 home runs. What percentage of the team’s total home runs did Cruz hit? 2. If Nelson Cruz hit 41 home runs during the 2019 season, how many feet did he trot around the bases in these at bats combined? (90 feet between bases) 3. As a team, the Twins offense had 1,547 hits during the 2019 season. If 307 of the hits were home runs, what percentage of the Twins total hits were home runs? 6 4. In 2021, Byron Buxton’s top speed running from home to first base was recorded at 30.4 feet per second. If Buxton ran at 30.4 ft/sec for a full minute, how many feet would he travel? How many times would Buxton run around the bases if he ran at this pace for one minute? 5. Throughout the history of the Minnesota Twins, 10 players have hit a “cycle.” Batters hit for the “cycle” when they record a single, double, triple, and a homerun in the same game. When a player hits for the cycle, how many feet do they travel if you combine the distance be- tween the bases for each hit? (90 feet between bases) On The Mound 1. If the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate is 60.5 feet, how many pitches would it take to throw a mile's worth of pitches? (1 mile = 5,280 feet) 7 Kenta Maeda’s MLB Pitching Statistics Jose Berrios MLB Pitching Statistics 2. Using the career pitching stats of Maeda and Berrios, calculate the average number of strikeouts (SO) they record per season. Kenta Maeda Strikeout Average: ___________________ Jose Berrios Strikeout Average: ___________________ WHIP (Walks and Hits Per Inning Pitched) is a statistic that is used to evaluate how well a pitcher keeps batters from getting on base due to factors the pitcher can control (If a batter reaches on a fielding error, this does not hurt a pitcher’s WHIP). To calculate WHIP, add the num- ber walks (BB) and hits (H) given up by the pitcher, then divide by the number of innings pitched (IP). 3. What was Maeda’s WHIP in 2020? 4. What was Berrios’ WHIP in 2020? 8 .