Home Field Disadvantage, Why Mets fans Should be Glad New York is Headed for the Road

from MLB.com

I know, it’s small sample, but home field doesn’t seem to be as much of an advantage as it seems in Major League Baseball.

But the two Wild Card teams that celebrated home field advantage went home.  The Yankees were shut down by the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel who made his case for the AL Cy Young.   Last night, Jake Arietta was even more impressive, pitching the Cubs past the Pirates in Pittsburgh last night.

Mets fans were ruing the team’s performance in Philadelphia, and dropping a Saturday doubleheader against the Washington Nationals that secured the Dodgers as the team with home field advantage for 3 of the 5 games in the NLDS that begins Friday night.

However, Mets fans should be happy to start on the road.

Not only have the Mets performed better on the road than at home over the past month of the season after having the exact opposite splits for much of 2015, but there are other factors that make the road start palatable for New York and possibly an advantage.

After the Philadelphia Union lost its Open Cup final against Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park in Chester,PA, the coach of the visitors remarked that is, “difficult to win a championship at home”, stating that the team has an obligation to both, “perform and entertain”.

That seemed to be the case for Pittsburgh and the Yankees in their Wild Card matchups this week.

He didn’t mention, but also a major factor is the pressure a team feels especially to hit and how the fans can turn on the home team as Yankees’ fans did Tuesday night booing their heroes as Houston pitchers put up zeroes all night.

The Mets, a team based on power pitching, could have a similar effect on Dodgers fans in LA this weekend and moreover, the Dodgers pitchers could and should shut down the Mets as well.

Should this series have started at Citi Field, the home fans may have turned on their Mets as Kershaw and Greinke put up zeroes of their own as they did watching Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark shut the Mets’ offense down.

Maybe, the Mets can relax on the road, and steal one in LA.