Chicago Cubs: Home is where the wins are
By Bill Felber
2000-2010
With a home base situated a mile high, the Colorado Rockies have since their inception in 1993 wrestled with a home-road imbalance. That was certainly the case in 2002.
The Rockies finished only 73-89 that season, a record that was certainly marred by the team’s inability to perform away from Coors Field. Colorado played 47-34 ball at home, but managed only 26 wins against 55 losses elsewhere.
In 2006, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Milwaukee Brewers both finished 23 games better at home than on the road. Milwaukee’s 27-54 road record sabotaged what otherwise might have been a contending season that included a 48-33 record at home. Under Joe Maddon, the 2006 Devil Rays weren’t quite ready to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox for supremacy in the AL East; that was yet a couple of seasons in the future. Again, the problem lay in the team’s ineptitude playing out of a suitcase. The Devil Rays finished 61-101 thanks to a 20-61 record on the road. At home they were beginning to look presentable, playing 41-40 ball.
According to the record book, the Detroit Tigers were a .500 team in 2010. They were actually anything but. At Comerica Park, the Tigers were a dominant 52-29. On the road, their record was exactly the opposite, just 29-52.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were an even bigger road pushover in 2010, winning just 17 times against 64 road losses. For that, the Pirates were sentenced to sixth place in the NL Central. The odd thing is that at PNC Park, those Pirates were a legitimate challenge, playing 40-41 ball.