Question Regarding the 1986 Baseball Season..... Why did the Astros and Red Sox have LCS homefield advantage?

Question

When the MLB switched two 2 divisions in 1969. Homefield Advantage in the LCS alternated each year. For example in the 1969 LCS the NL West Winners and AL East Winners each had homefield advanatge. In 1970 NL East and AL West winners had homefield advanatge etc. This system was changed to 'seeding based on record' in 1994 when baseball went to four divisions.

However for some odd reason in 1986 the NL West and AL East teams each had homefield advantage despite the fact that these divisions also had homefield advantage in 1985. In 1987 they went back to alternating. Does Anyone know why this happened?

Chip, the LCS I'm fairly sure was never a 2-3 format. The Division Series was a 2-3 format the 1st few yrs but I'm pretty sure the LCS was always 2-2-1 until 1984 when it became 2-3-2. In either case your explanation still seems to make sense, I like it!

Answer 1

I'm really dredging deep in the neurons here...

As you noted, from 1969-85, the home field (for Game 1; "true" homefield from 1969-84 belonged to whichever team hosted Game 3, as the LCS was played in a 2-3 format) went to the AL East and NL West in one season (odd numbered years), and the AL West and NL East in the others (evens). Meanwhile, the World Series HFA went to the AL in odd years and the NL in even years.

The upshot of this was that an AL West team or an NL West team could NEVER have the homefield advantage both in its own LCS (Games 1, 2 through 1984) AND the World Series (Games 1, 2, 6, 7) in the same postseason. And eventually this came to light and annoyed the MLB powers-that-be enough to do something to redress it.

Thus, the one-time hiccup in 1986, when the flip changed things so that West teams (AL and NL) could have HFA in both the LCS and the WS if it was their year, at the expense of East teams losing this small but real benefit. If this plan had an expiration to it (perhaps 2002, when it would have lasted 17 years each way), it was forgotten when the leagues realigned into three divisions per in 1994 and record-based homefields were enacted soon after.

Then again, I may be wrong about the reasons why.

Answer 2

Your question should have been about the 1985 season, not 1986. In 1984, 1985, and 1986, the NL West and AL East both had home field advantage. That was fine for 1984 and 1986, but home field should have switched in 1985.

Also, the LCS was always 2-3 before 1985 when it became 2-3-2. (Also, the special Division Series in 1981 were 2-3.)

Answer 3

1986 Baseball Season

Answer 4

i'm still trying to figure that one out myself!!!
i think it had something to do with the Houston Oilers schedule of football games during that 1st week