But baseball, where so much depends on starting pitching, traditionally has been less influenced by which team wears home whites.

Home teams were at .517 in the strike-interrupted 1994 season, the lowest percentage since division play began in 1969. The highest mark since then was .573 in 1978.

Home field advantage would be even more pronounced this season without interleague play. National League clubs were 56-70 in their own ballparks against the American League.

Naturally, baseball organizations try to build a team that will play well 81 times in the same ballpark. They certainly want to pay attention to the little nuances of their individual park and the type of baseball that fits those parks.

Having last at-bats also plays into the fine home records.

A look at the standings heading into the All-Star break shows some interesting records - both home and away – as well as records in one-run games and against teams within the division.

The Tampa Bay Rays have had the majority of their success at home, where they are 36-14 compared to 19-25 on the road. The Rays are also 16-11 in one-run games and 24-17 against other AL East squads.

The Chicago White Sox, sitting atop the AL Central standings, are a sizzling 32-13 at U.S. Cellular Field, but just 22-27 on the road. Ozzie Guillen’s troops are 13-11 in one-run games and a sparkling 26-12 against teams in their own division.

The Los Angeles Angels own the poorest home record of any American League division leader at 26-20. However, the Halos make up for that with a Major League-best 31-18 road record. The Angels are 18-13 in one-run contests and 19-12 versus other AL West clubs.

The Cubs have the best home record in the National League at 37-12, but they are just 20-26 away from Wrigley Field. They are 15-14 in one-run games and 22-17 against other NL Central clubs.

The poorest home record of any National League division-leader belongs to the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies at 27-23. However, the Phils are 25-21 on the road and 17-14 against teams within their division. The Phils also hold the distinction of the lone division-leading team with a losing record in one-run games (15-17).

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the lone division leader that has a record below .500 (47-48). However, most of their success has occurred at home, where they are 27-19. Arizona is 13-13 in one-run games and a whopping 21-10 against other NL West clubs.

Of course, there are some quirks as far as records are concerned during the first half of the season.

For instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates are just 44-50 in their first 94 games this season, but they are a league-best 10-3 in extra inning affairs.

Despite finishing the first half of the season 17 games above .500, the Boston Red Sox are just 14-16 in one-run outings.

The Atlanta Braves have the distinction of having the worst record in one-run games during the season’s first half (5-22) and the poorest mark in extra innings (2-7).

July 14, 2008