As the 2024 World Series draws near, the question of home field advantage becomes an important topic of discussion. With two strong teams ready to compete for the championship, it’s worth exploring how playing at home can influence the series. Keep reading to find out who has home field advantage, why, and more:
Who has home field advantage?
The Los Angeles Dodgers will have home field advantage with a record of 98-64 (.605). The New York Yankees have a record of 94-68 (.580).
After the Yankees clinched the ALCS, the World Series home-field advantage hinged on the outcome of the NLCS. While the Yankees would have had home field against the Mets, the Dodgers ended up earning the top overall seed among the 12 playoff teams.
As a result, Games 1-2 of the World Series will be held at Dodger Stadium before the series moves to New York.
How is home field advantage determined?
The team with the better regular-season win percentage will secure home field advantage, regardless of whether they won their division or earned a Wild Card spot. This means they will host Games 1-2 and, if necessary, Games 6-7.
In the event that two teams have identical win percentages, the tiebreaker is their head-to-head record, which can be determined since every team now faces each other at least once during the season.
2024 World Series Schedule
Here’s the schedule for the 120th Fall Classic, with start times yet to be announced. Each game will be broadcast on FOX.
- Friday, Oct. 25: Yankees at Dodgers – 8:08 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Oct. 26: Yankees at Dodgers – 8:08 p.m. ET
- Monday, Oct. 28: Dodgers at Yankees – 8:08 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Oct. 29: Dodgers at Yankees – 8:08 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, Oct. 30: Dodgers at Yankees – 8:08 p.m. ET*
- Friday, Nov. 1: Yankees at Dodgers – 8:08 p.m. ET*
- Saturday, Nov. 2: Yankees at Dodgers – 8:08 p.m. ET*
*If necessary
Does home field advantage matter?
Home field is not as much of an advantage as it has been made out to be.
Teams holding home-field advantage in the World Series during the Wild Card Era (since 1995) have won the championship 19 out of 28 times (67.9% success rate), not counting the 2020 World Series (played at a neutral site). However, when it comes to winner-take-all Game 7s, the impact of home field is less pronounced. Historically, home teams are 19-21 in these critical World Series matchups and 64-66 in all winner-take-all postseason games, which includes wins by the Dodgers and Guardians in their Division Series Game 5s this year.
In the 2023 World Series, the road team performed impressively, going 4-1, with the Rangers securing their first title by winning three consecutive games in Arizona. In 2022, the Astros had home-field advantage against the Phillies but ultimately lost Game 1 at home before clinching the title. The previous year, the Braves triumphed over the Astros despite not having home field, winning both Game 1 and the crucial Game 6 in enemy territory. Adding to the mix, the 2019 World Series saw the Nationals defeat the Astros in a seven-game series where the home team failed to win a single game.
How has home field advantage historically been decided?
The current system for determining World Series home-field advantage, based on overall win percentage, was implemented in 2017. Notably, there have been four different sets of rules for home-field advantage in the 21st century alone.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted significant changes to the 2020 MLB season, including adjustments for the World Series. For the first time ever, the 116th World Series between the Dodgers and Rays took place at a neutral site—Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas—as part of MLB’s efforts to reduce exposure to the virus. This marked the first Fall Classic played at a single stadium since 1944, when the Browns and Cardinals competed at their shared venue, Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
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