Why do teams generally win more home games than away?

[bgfield]

I got into a discussion with some people on another board I post at about home field advantage, and how I believe in baseball, it's really overblown if not non-existant entirely. And while stats show that teams DO tend to win more games at home than on the road, I still can't think of one good reason why.

I can think of a bunch of small factors (crowd factor, familiarity of the ballpark, not having to travel during homestands), but what "advantage" does a home team really enjoy? The game's played the same way, the bases are always the same distance from each other, the dimensions may be more friendly to hitters or pitchers but I don't see that as an advantage exclusive to the home team as both teams can enjoy those park effects.

Now in certain cases, such as Fenway where hitters can get used to bouncing walls off the Green Monster, I can see an advantage. But not every ballpark has these unique features that players who are familiar with the field can take advantage of.

So what causes it? Why is it that generally teams DO have a better home record than away? Has there been any article written on this to explain the phenomenon (I couldn't find one doing a quick google search)?

[Sports Guy]

I think you touched on it...Its the small things like being able to sleep in your own bed.

Get some motivation and momentum from the crowd as well.

[RShack]

Is this a "baseball thing", or a generic "sports thing"? I'm not diss'ing your question, and I don't have a good answer, but isn't this a fairly normal thing across sports?

[Pedro Cerrano]

Is this a "baseball thing", or a generic "sports thing"? I'm not diss'ing your question, and I don't have a good answer, but isn't this a fairly normal thing across sports?

Yes but I think he is saying that there is a better explanation for NFL and whatnot.

The one I never got was the NBA. The home/road winning percentages in that league is astounding when you think about how little advantage a home team should have.

[glenn__davis]

Yes but I think he is saying that there is a better explanation for NFL and whatnot.

The one I never got was the NBA. The home/road winning percentages in that league is astounding when you think about how little advantage a home team should have.

Obviously the crowd adds some to the NBA, but don't discount the different backgrounds you're looking at while you're shooting.

[bgfield]

Is this a "baseball thing", or a generic "sports thing"? I'm not diss'ing your question, and I don't have a good answer, but isn't this a fairly normal thing across sports?

It's less noticeable in baseball. I can also understand it more in other sports, especially football when screaming fans can make it harder for another team to hear the play that's being called. Screaming fans aren't gonna have that kind of effect in baseball.

[longflyball]

No one has mentioned the most obvious home field advantage: last at bats.

[Migrant Redbird]

No one has mentioned the most obvious home field advantage: last at bats.

Exactly! The home team doesn't have to worry about any walk off hits.

Everything that bgfield listed is also a factor, and none of them add up to an overwhelming advantage. Some teams actually do better on the road over the course of a single season, but I think that's just a normal statistical anomaly. Over the long haul, every team should do better at home than on the road.

[bernie132000]

There are certain places where it is a big advantage. These places usually have some oddity that the home team can adjust to. Examples are the Metrodome roof, and places where the hitting background is unusual, or large foul territories with real good pitchers. Some teams might build their teams toward their home field. Maybe having a short right field fence would lead to a LH 1B and OFs. Or a large OF makes the team like speedy OFs. One thing that I haven't touched on is changing the field to suit your team. Having the grass grow high with a ground ball pitcher so nothing gets through the IF, or making the plate area hard so that hitters can pound the ball off it. I have also heard stories of teams changing the mound according to that day's pitcher. Little things can make big differences.

[Migrant Redbird]

I have also heard stories of teams changing the mound according to that day's pitcher.

I suspect that there was a lot more of that before the mound was lowered from 15 to 10 inches. Prior to that point, I've heard that mounds were sometimes as much as 17 to 19 inches high, whenever the home team felt that would be an advantage to their pitchers. I think that MLB keeps a much closer eye on the mound configuration now, and the visiting pitcher can request the grounds crew come out and make adjustments if the feel of the mound isn't to his liking.