Do Professional Baseball Players Live Longer Than Average Americans?

Do professional baseball players tend to live longer than the average American?

A new study out of Harvard University suggests that’s the case.

The study examined 10,451 major leaguers who died between 1979 and 2013 and compared it to the typical lifespan of the average male. Scientists determined pro baseball players live 24 percent longer on average than men in the general public.

While it’s not entirely clear why this appears to be the case, New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine seems to have an idea.

“We’re exercising our entire bodies, every day, for 160 games,” Romine told The New York Times’ Nicholas Bakalar. “It’s the longest season in sports.”

Didi Gregorius, however, doesn’t think baseball players do anything different in particular. At least, he doesn’t.

‘I don’t do anything special about exercise or diet,” the shortstop said, per Bakalar. “I just hang out.”

Whatever the case actually may be, it’s certainly an interesting thing to think about.