PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks are following the Colorado Rockies' lead and will add a humidor to store baseballs.
Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Thursday that the team had been considering it for some time and hopes to have one installed in about a month.
Hall said the team asked former Diamondbacks pitchers what they liked and didn't like about pitching at Chase Field. Most said gripping the baseball in Arizona's hot, dry air was the biggest issue.
"They all talked about the grip," Hall said. "The one thing you don't really want to do is negatively impact the offense because that's part of the fun of Chase Field or Coors Field. But I don't think (a humidor) really did diminish the offense at Coors Field. We don't know if it's going to make much of a difference, but it's probably a necessity."
The Rockies installed a humidor in 2002 to combat the effect Denver's high altitude has on the baseballs. Colorado is the only team in Major League Baseball to use a humidor.
Major League Baseball suggests the best conditions in which to store baseballs is 70 degrees with 50 percent humidity.
"Some of them are slick," Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin told azcentral.com. "You kind of got to rub it up when you get the ball back, pretty much every couple pitches when you get a new ball. If it helps out there, that'll be great. The ball does feel a little dusty at times, too, I would say. But yeah, that would be good if that's something they can eliminate.
"We'll see what happens, but hopefully the ball just feels better. You get a better grip, and when a pitcher can have a better grip, that makes the game safer as well."