Citi Field is known to be one of the most extreme run-suppressing parks in the MLB. In theory extreme park factors should affect both the home an visitor team equally, but in practice players will often make changes to their approach (not always for the better) to compensate for having to play half of their games in an environment that they find challenging. While visiting players only have to play a few games at a time in an opposing ballpark, home players are in danger of tweaking their approach at the plate in a park where they spend half of the season. The latest move in of Citi's fences appears to be a final admission by Mets ownership that Citi's extreme dimensions have hurt Mets batters more than they've helped Mets pitchers. Citi Field presents an interesting look at the psychology of baseball, and how hitters will (knowingly or unknowingly) adjust their approach at the plate when faced with a home ballpark they they perceive as being difficult to hit in.

Let's take a look at the Mets' home-away splits for the last 4 seasons, and then see how the Mets expected record would have looked if they'd played as well at home as they did on the road:

2014:

Home: 286 R, 286 RA, 0 run differential

Away: 343 R, 332 RA, 11 run differential

2013:

Home: 268 R, 337 RA, -69 run differential

Away: 351 R, 347 RA, 4 run differential

2012:

Home: 287 R, 347 RA, -60 run differential

Away: 363 R, 362 RA, 1 run differential

2011:

Home: 328 R, 367 RA, -39 run differential

Away: 390 R, 375 RA, 15 run differential

2011-2014 Total:

Home: 1169 R, 1337 RA, -168 run differential

Away: 1447 R, 1416 RA, 31 run differential

Home pythagorean record for 2011-2014: .433%, 140-184

Away pythagorean record for 2011-2014: .511%, 166-158

Total pythagorean record for 2011-2014: 306-342

What the Mets' 4 season pythagorean record would have been with a .511 win% (their away pythagorean win%): 331-317