How important is home field advantage in baseball?

Toddy2Hotty · Apr 7, 2008

It def does not compare to that of football or basketball. How much weight do you put in home/away when handicapping a game for mlb?

billhill999 · Apr 7, 2008

Very important, as a home team, you have the last say in the ninth in a tie game.

Plus the home team defense knows every nook and cranny of their playing field, how balls carum off of walls, how bunts react down the third base line, etc. etc.

barman · Apr 7, 2008

MLB teams will get about 60% of their wins at Home as compared to Basketball and NFL where most will get about 75% of their wins at home.

(Note I did not say "60% win pct at Home", but rather "60% of teams wins are Home Wins")

CtGuy441 · Apr 7, 2008

pitchers are also generally more comfortable on their home mounds

krk1030 · Apr 7, 2008

I don't think it has a big impact in a 1 game situation. I look for more situations where a team has been on the road for a while and they are facing a team that has played at home for the last 10 days.

CHOPTALK · Apr 7, 2008

Its more important during interleague play.

If you take away interleague, a team only averages 55% of there wins at home which is not nearly as big as football and basketball.