KC Royals: Why Do The Royals Play Differently On The Road?

Jun 19, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert (19) celebrate with teammates after the game winning walk off single in the thirteenth inning over the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The KC Royals are 38-31 and just 1/2 game out of first place in the AL Central as of 20 June. The KC Royals are 25-8 at home, and 13-23 on the road. In fact, the Royals have one of the best home records in baseball. So why are the Royals such a different team when they play at Kauffman Stadium?

For starters lets look at the Royals home and road splits with respect to offense. At home, as a team, the KC Royals have a slash line of .287/.339/.436. The Royals are also averaging 5 runs per game at home. The only team better in all three hitting categories than KC happens to be the best offense in baseball, the Boston Red Sox, who are slashing .291/.355/.481.

The KC Royals offense on the road however is a different story. The road slash line for KC is .264/.309/.389. Those dismal hitting statistics certainly explains the Royals averaging only 3.25 runs per game on the road. That is almost 2 runs less per game on the road than at home.

But wait! There’s MORE!

KC Royals pitching at home has been pretty good. At home, Royals pitching has an ERA of 3.47, a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 3.70, and the K-BB rate is 16%. Meanwhile on the road, Royals pitching has an ERA of 4.48, a FIP of 5.14, and a K-BB rate of 9.9%.

Next: Kauffman Stadium Effect On Pitching

The KC Royals are 38-31 and just 1/2 game out of first place in the AL Central as of 20 June. The KC Royals are 25-8 at home, and 13-23 on the road. In fact, the Royals have one of the best home records in baseball. So why are the Royals such a different team when they play at Kauffman Stadium?

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