With today’s big news that Major League Baseball will no longer determine World Series home-field advantage by which league wins the All-Star game, it got us thinking about how the Giants have been affected by the home field advantage in the World Series over the years. After all, San Francisco has been in the fall classic four times in the last 15 seasons, twice with the All-Star rule in place, and once with the old rule of alternating team’s annually. Might things have gone differently with the new rule in place that grants home field advantage to the team with the best record?
Somewhat amazingly and coincidentally, home field advantage in the Giants’ last three World Series appearances has gone to the team with the best record. Twice San Francisco had the best record, against the Texas Rangers in 2010 and Detroit Tigers in 2012, and both times the National League won the All-Star game in those seasons. The Giants were fortunate for that to be the case, as the American League won 11 of the 14 All-Star games played under the previous rule, with the AL winning the World Series in eight of those seasons.
Having home field certainly didn’t hurt San Francisco in those series, taking six out of the seven games at home, helping them jump out to a 2-0 advantage in both the 2010 and 2012 series. The Giants did not have home field advantage in 2014, but did not have a better record than the Kansas City Royals, who they bested in seven games.
Frustratingly, it was the only World Series the Giants lost in the last two decades where they found themselves on the short end of the stick when it came to home-field advantage. San Francisco had a better record than the Anaheim Angels in 2002, but because the National League had had home field advantage the previous year, had to play four of the seven games in Southern California. The Giants took a 3-2 advantage into the final two games at Edison International Field of Anaheim, and were unable to close the deal, losing in seven games.
Overall, the Giants benefited from the previous home-field advantage rules in the World Series, even though they would’ve had it in 2010, 2012, and 2014 under the new set of rules as well. They should’ve also had it in 2002, and it may have proved to be a difference in the series. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, we will never have to ask ourselves “what if” when it comes to home field advantage affecting the Fall Classic.