KC Royals: Five Reasons They Return To The World Series
By Alec Tilson
Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
3. Kauffman Stadium
The Royals will have home field advantage the entire way to the World Series, and the world has found out over the last 13 months that Kauffman Stadium is a pretty tough place to win.
We don’t play downtown. There’s no skyline in sight. We’re not playing on the river or anywhere near the financial district. We’re taking you eight miles down I-70, to the middle of nowhere, and we’re going to find out if you can play. There’s no bars, no restaurants, no city lights. It’s going to be loud so you better able to block it out, and the yard is big so you better be able to cover it.
A lot of those hard-hit fly balls that become home runs at other stadiums, they turn into doubles at Kauffman.
It’s a unique home field, and one that suits the Royals strategy. Kauffman Stadium was the 25th toughest stadium to hit home runs in this season, according to ESPN‘s Park Factors. On the other hand, it was the fourth friendliest stadium to hit doubles in. A lot of those hard-hit fly balls that become home runs at other stadiums, they turn into doubles at Kauffman.
It affects the Royals the same, but they’re not a team that hits many homers. They hit 139 this season, good for 24th in the MLB.
The crowd is the cherry on top. They won’t make any outs, but there’s always something about 35,000 crazed fans screaming, especially while an opposing team is scrambling to stop a rally.
Next: Reason #2: A Look At The Offense