A series of upsets in Major League Baseball’s postseason has left the future of World Series home field advantage in limbo.

MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, reported on Friday (April 15) that “World Series home field advantage has been determined in different ways over the years, but for 2023, it’s pretty simple. The team with the highest regular-season winning percentage will take home field advantage, regardless of district wins and wild cards, and will host Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7,” MLB.com wrote in an introduction to the World Series home-field advantage rules.

This season’s Major League Baseball postseason has been unusually eventful. Atlanta (104-58), which led the majors in overall wins, was eliminated in the National League Division Series by Philadelphia (90-72) in three games, and Baltimore (101-61), which led the American League in wins, was swept in three games by Texas (90-72) in the American League Division Series. In addition, the first through fifth-place teams in the majors, including the National League’s second-place Dodgers (100-62), American League runner-up Tampa Bay (99-63), and National League Central winner Milwaukee (92-70), were all eliminated in the first round of the postseason.

Advancing to the League Championship Series were Houston and Texas (90 wins and 72 losses) in the American League and Philadelphia and Arizona (90 wins and 72 losses) in the National League. This is the first time since the League Championship Series was introduced in 1969 (excluding the 1981 and 2020 shortened seasons) that no team in the League Championship Series has won 91 or more games.

Of the four teams that advanced to the League Championship Series, Houston, Texas, and Philadelphia all had 90 wins and 72 losses, so regular-season winning percentage cannot mask World Series home-field advantage. In this case, regular-season head-to-head wins will determine World Series home field advantage.

There are two possible World Series matchups: Houston-Philadelphia and Texas-Philadelphia. If Houston and Philadelphia meet, the Phillies get home field advantage because they have a 2-1 head-to-head record. Conversely, if Texas and Philadelphia meet, the Texans will have home field advantage because they have the better head-to-head record with three wins. Arizona, which has the lowest regular-season winning percentage of any team in the League Championship Series, is not eligible for World Series home field advantage under any circumstances. 메이저놀이터

However, World Series home field advantage is not a significant factor in determining the World Series winner. According to MLB.com, “Home field advantage isn’t as important as we think. In the 27 World Series since the wild card was introduced in 1995, excluding the 2020 World Series, which was played on a neutral field, the team with home field advantage has won 18 times (66.7%). However, the home team is just 19-21 in games that could decide the outcome. In the postseason as a whole, they are 62-63.”