Best home advantage

The Twins wrapped up a homestand in June 1987 with four consecutive victories, giving them a four-and-a-half game lead in the American League West. But the comfortable cushion quickly vanished. Minnesota lost seven of eight road games to the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, slipping into a first-place tie with the latter.

This bipolar behavior continued the rest of the year. The Twins returned to the Metrodome in early July and began to win. But they went 4-9 on a subsequent West Coast swing. Minnesota again found itself in a first-place tie, only to surge back on top with five straight victories at home.

Four road trips remained on the schedule, and all went badly. The Twins lost 16 of their final 21 games away from Minneapolis, yet hung on to win the division. They finished 56-25 (.691) at home and 29-52 (.358) on the road, an imbalance of .333 in winning percentage. That ranks as the biggest home-field advantage for any team in the Modern Era (1961 to the present).

Former Twins star (and new Hall of Famer) Jim Kaat credited Minnesota’s fans and the Metrodome itself. “It was loud, the sightlines were difficult, the roof made it easy to lose fly balls,” he said. “In short, the Twins usually had the advantage there.” Minnesota stayed true to form in the 1987 World Series, winning all four home games to take the championship.

It should be pointed out that the Twins are actually tied for first place in this category. The 1996 Colorado Rockies also enjoyed a home-field edge of .333, but their story wasn’t nearly as compelling. They went 83-79 overall and finished well out of playoff contention.

Below are the 14 Modern Era clubs that enjoyed the strongest home-field advantages, based on the differences between their home and road winning percentages. (Why 14? Because there’s a seven-way tie for eighth place.) These rankings cover every year since 1961, with the exception of 2020, when the season was severely truncated because of Covid and no fans were admitted to most big-league ballparks.

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1. (tie) Minnesota Twins (1987)

Home advantage: .333
Home record: 56-25 (.691)
Road record: 29-52 (.358)
Overall record: 85-77 (.525)
Postseason: Won World Series

1. (tie) Colorado Rockies (1996)

Home advantage: .333
Home record: 55-26 (.679)
Road record: 28-53 (.346)
Overall record: 83-79 (.512)
Postseason: None

3. Houston Astros (1978)

Home advantage: .321
Home record: 50-31 (.617)
Road record: 24-57 (.296)
Overall record: 74-88 (.457)
Postseason: None

4. Colorado Rockies (2014)

Home advantage: .297
Home record: 45-36 (.556)
Road record: 21-60 (.259)
Overall record: 66-96 (.407)
Postseason: None

5. (tie) Boston Red Sox (1961)

Home advantage: .296
Home record: 50-31 (.617)
Road record: 26-55 (.321)
Overall record: 76-86 (.469)
Postseason: None

5. (tie) Florida Marlins (1996)

Home advantage: .296
Home record: 52-29 (.642)
Road record: 28-53 (.346)
Overall record: 80-82 (.494)
Postseason: None

5. (tie) Colorado Rockies (2003)

Home advantage: .296
Home record: 49-32 (.605)
Road record: 25-56 (.309)
Overall record: 74-88 (.457)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Houston Astros (1967)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 46-35 (.568)
Road record: 23-58 (.284)
Overall record: 69-93 (.426)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Houston Astros (1969)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 52-29 (.642)
Road record: 29-52 (.358)
Overall record: 81-81 (.500)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Chicago White Sox (1972)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 55-23 (.705)
Road record: 32-44 (.421)
Overall record: 87-67 (.565)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Boston Red Sox (1987)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 50-30 (.625)
Road record: 28-54 (.341)
Overall record: 78-84 (.481)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Houston Astros (1990)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 49-32 (.605)
Road record: 26-55 (.321)
Overall record: 75-87 (.463)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Detroit Tigers (2010)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 52-29 (.642)
Road record: 29-52 (.358)
Overall record: 81-81 (.500)
Postseason: None

8. (tie) Pittsburgh Pirates (2010)

Home advantage: .284
Home record: 40-41 (.494)
Road record: 17-64 (.210)
Overall record: 57-105 (.352)
Postseason: None