By Chad Jennings, C. Trent Rosecrans, and Stephen J. Nesbitt
In one American League Wild Card Series, the entire outcome hinged on a play that took advantage of crowd noise. The noise was too loud at Target Field for the Blue Jays baserunners to hear their third-base coach’s warning about an impending pickoff play, which resulted in Twins shortstop Carlos Correa picking off Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and securing a two-game sweep.
On the other hand, the AL Wild Card Series experienced empty seats throughout. Despite being an excellent team that thrives on their underdog status, the Tampa Bay Rays were swept by the Texas Rangers in front of two of the smallest postseason crowds in the past 100 years. The lack of crowd support was overwhelming.
It seems that home-field advantage differs from one ballpark to another. For the Philadelphia Phillies, their home-field advantage at Citizens Bank Park has been significant, as they swept the Miami Marlins and improved their postseason record at home to 24-11. Third baseman Alec Bohm believes that playing in a difficult environment like Citizens Bank Park during the regular season prepares them for the postseason, making it even better.
The postseason brings out the best moments in baseball, often punctuated by the reactions of the crowds. After witnessing the response, or lack thereof, from crowds during October baseball this week, The Athletic ranked the home-field environments of the eight remaining playoff teams. Here are the rankings:
No. 8: Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field
No. 7: Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field
No. 6: Minnesota Twins at Target Field
No. 5: Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park
The rankings are based on prior performance and the potential impact of the crowd on the games. Despite the rankings, each stadium offers its unique elements that can still influence the outcome of games.