“Hot hand” researcher can speak on Rangers chances at a win.
Newswise — Game on! Tonight, the Texas Rangers take the field in San Francisco. The question is, will it be a seven-game series or a four-game sweep?
Alan Reifman, a Texas Tech University professor who studies sports streakiness and conducts “hot hand” research, is available to speak about the chances of the Rangers emerging as MLB World Series Champions.
“In baseball, the home team wins around 54 percent of the time, only slightly above what a coin flip would suggest,” Reifman said. “Other sports have bigger home-field (home-court, home-ice, etc.) advantages, perhaps because the crowds are closer to the action.”
Reifman said the main focus of this year’s World Series would probably put the Giants’ pitching up against the Rangers’ hitting.
“In September, the Giants had a streak of 18 straight games with three or fewer runs allowed, while the Rangers have slugged at least one home run in all 11 of their playoff games leading up to the World Series.”
Reifman is a professor in Texas Tech’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies who conducts “hot hand” analysis and can speak to sports streaks and statistical probability. His blog can be found at http://thehothand.blogspot.com/.
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