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Baseball2 min read

How Rays have ultimate home-field advantage in MLB playoffs

The Rays have a huge home-field advantage this postseason.
How Rays have ultimate home-field advantage in MLB playoffs

The Tampa Bay Rays have won the American League East, securing the division title over the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

But it's not just the AL East that the Rays have secured. They also have a first-round bye, avoiding the AL Wild Card round entirely. Most importantly, however, is that the Rays have also earned home-field advantage throughout the AL side of the postseason.

This is a huge deal for the Rays. The reason is more than just simple home-field advantage. As USA Today's Bob Nightengale highlighted, the Rays have the ultimate home-field advantage.

"Tropicana Field is a house of horrors to visiting teams, with the Rays going 55-26 at home this season, and will have home-field advantage throughout the AL postseason," Nightengale writes.

Tampa Bay is 98-63 heading into the regular season finale against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road, but they've ended their 2026 season with a strong 55-26 record at home.

Looking around Major League Baseball, there is only one team that can compare to the Rays' home-field advantage, and they're the National League Central Milwaukee Brewers.

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The Brewers are 54-25 at home, with one more game on Sunday to go against the St. Louis Cardinals. Their 68.4 winning percentage at home is only slightly better than the Rays' 67.9% winning percentage this season.

The Atlanta Braves are 52-29 at home, good for a 64.2% winning percentage, third-best in baseball. The next-closest American League team is the Chicago White Sox with a 47-33 record, followed closely by the Yankees at a 46-34 home record.

Tampa Bay's home-field advantage is the best in the American League by a wide margin and is barely behind the best home-field advantage in the postseason overall.

This Rays team has a fantastic home-field advantage, and it should give Rays fans plenty of confidence when they play in the ALDS against either the Red Sox or the Yankees.

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It was published on September 27, 2026 and last updated on October 9, 2026. The time of the story is shown in your own time zone on the page.

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