Home Team Advantage

[85_royals]

I know the home team has the natural advantage by batting in the bottom half, and having the crowd on their side.  But to me, it seems that there is an ever more present advantage by the home team in RBI.  It seems that the home team wins the majority of the time, if the skill levels are approximately the same.  

Does anyone else think this, or am I just on to some stupid myth?

[GPines]

I'm afraid it's true, I have played many times and seen lopsided games turn-around in the bottom of the 9th.

The game loves to end on a walk-off homerun.

Last night I was down 6-1 in the bottom of the ninth, hit 2 homeruns, then a bop at 3rd on a routine ground ball, the Spilman hit a walk-off to give me the victory.

Happens all the time.

[SmokedUBad13]

I have to disagree.  Neither home nor away has an advantage.  I always feel better playing with the away team because that way you have the opportunity to score first.  But that's just me.

SmokedUBad
www.dee-nee.com/rbi/mbeales - The Official R.B.I. Baseball COTUT

[Big Apple RBI Champ]

I agree with SmokedUBad.  I want to score first.  In my games the team that scores first seems to win 90% of the time.  I get the early lead and hold it.

I do buy what was said about the game wanting to win in Bottom 9 with walkoff HR, but if I have a decent size lead and a rested closer in the 9th then I'll take my chances.

[TbT]

anyone have any concrete evidence on this?  in tecmo bowl, player 1, AKA the home team wins at about a 60% clip in roughly 150 games that we have kept stats for.

[ultimate7]

This is a myth, no advantage

[fknmclane]

Seems like a pretty fucking ridiculous myth to me.  Let me reiterate that real quick: 

FUCKING RIDICULOUS

[OctoFranco]

Whoever controls the start button has the power.  I'll take visitor any day.

[Nails]

Psychological advantage based on who scores first, maybe, but that's about it.

[Gantry]

I guess there are some pros/cons

1) Preference for batting and scoring first +Away
2) The ability to have last wraps +Home
3) Knowing how many runs you need before you slaughter +Home
4) Knowing how many runs you need before you get slaughtered +Home

So to me the home team has the slightest of advantages.   Not enough to use them exclusively (I use away 90% of the time) but in straight pitch you have some "slaughter strategy"

If you are up 8 with a runner on, you might go for a late-in-the-order PH sub and go for the slaughter.  This does happen in our games (albeit very occasionally), obviously straight pitch.  If you are the away team, this strategy can backfire because even if you get the dinger you have to hold them in the bottom of the inning...

And though there are likely zero technical reasons why this takes place, the fucking home team routinely gets the ass bottom-of-the-9th comeback.  Even if they are down 12, they will get 6 runs just to make it interesting.  It's probably a figment of my imagination, but I swear there is computer (Lipitz) assistance at times...

All this being said, I still prefer the away team.  The advantage for the home team is slight, but not enough to typically decide games.  And if you are playing curve/slurve where slaughters are few and far between, then there really is no advantage...

[fknmclane]

And if you are playing curve/slurve where slaughters are few and far between, then there really is no advantage...

Exactly.

As far as personal preference goes, I like being away.  It's great jumping out to a lead, very demoralizing for the opposition.  Being away runs the risk of a bottom of 9 comeback and there's nothing worse than getting the short end of the stick but shutting up the home crowd is always fun.

[TbT]

id agree that it probably matters more in straight pitch with some of aspects gantry talked about, but in curve its prolly not a factor.

if nothing else, whoever scores first in curve is prolly at an advantage.

[Gantry]

It all boils down to comfort (though not of the Southern variety), the percieved advantage is more in your mind than on the crisp terrain of Tengen Field.  Bat where you are comfortable and score runs, that is how one will emerge on top...

[Stock]

The down arrow only works half the time on my 2p controller.  So, Visiting team always has the advantage.

[Gantry]

The down arrow only works half the time on my 2p controller.  So, Visiting team always has the advantage.

If one lacks the tools to capture ones goals, they must obtain them at the nearest Bazaar...

[JoeDirt]

From the WTF files:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15661&item=8186427199&rd=1

[BeeJay]

Hilarious.  I made a tile end table that looks like a tetris board, with a staight piece about to clear for a tetris.  It's at my parent's house though, otherwise I'd post some pictures of my nerdsterpiece, and sell it on ebay.