Today’s ALDS game between Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros will include 2,000 more fans than usual.
On Friday, the Rays had already sold out the first 33,000 tickets to Monday’s game, the Tampa Bay Times reports, after already re-opening the deck for the postseason to increase capacity from 25,025 to 33,000. So, in order to meet demand, the Rays increased capacity once again to 35,000. If the team makes it to the next round, they’ll remove all of the tarps to accommodate 40,000 fans.
If a game on Tuesday continues as planned, the Rays will play Houston once again on Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets are already soaring between $40 and $460 for tomorrow’s potential match.
These numbers are a stark difference to MLB attendance woes this season. It was reported that the league had the worst attendance this season in 16 years, pulling in 68.49 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels reached 3 million this year, while the Blue Jays lost half a million fans at the field and the Orioles had their lowest attendance in 28 seasons.
In an attempt to boost attendance, teams have been offering initiatives like the Oakland A’s Access program, free game tickets for children, or overall cheaper tickets.
Visit Ticket Club to find tickets to see the Rays at a game this season
