Internet Sports betting fans sometimes don’t put as much stock into baseball fans as they do into, say, football fans. It’s true that baseball fans aren’t known to tailgate, paint their bodies or run onto the field the way football fans do. But that doesn’t mean they can’t influence the outcome of games, especially in the playoffs. That principal really rings true in the Phillies vs Yankees World Series, as Philadelphia and New York are two of the toughest, if not the toughest, cities for a visiting team to play in.

During the regular season, baseball crowds can give their teams a boost, but it’s not quite the same aside from big rivalry games. The fans are usually enjoying the sunlight, snacking, and sometimes not even fully paying attention to the action.

A playoff game attracts a different kind of fan – a die-hard who will brave cold temperatures by baseball standards and is very baseball literate. These types of fans are louder and much more united. It’s thus no surprise to see certain pitchers struggle on the road in these playoffs.

A.J. Burnett is the best example. The Yankees’ flamethrowing righty struggled on the road this season, sporting an ERA close to 5.00. Game 5 of the ALCS against the Angels was Burnett’s first career road start in the playoffs. He imploded in the first inning, getting rocked for four runs. The only other game this season in which he faced a hostile crowd of that playoff caliber was when he returned to Toronto to face a then-first-place Blue Jays team; he performed poorly there too.

The lesson to learn for betting 101 is to be wary of pitchers who already struggle on the road entering the playoffs – like Burnett. You can win money if you bet against them when they pitch key road games. You could stick with Burnett in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium if you like the Yankees odds but I’d steer clear of him if he pitches Game 5 in Philly, whose fans are notoriously ornery.