ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Following a second straight American League Championship Series game played in front of numerous empty seats, Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby complimented the team’s fanbase and addressed complaints about expensive face value ticket prices.
“We are grateful to our fans for their incredible support — they are part of what makes Rays baseball truly special,” Babby said in a written statement to The Athletic. “Our players feel the energy they bring to games, and it has created an exciting atmosphere all season.
“As an organization, we understand how important affordability is, and we have consistently offered a variety of ticket options designed to make Rays baseball accessible. We value our fans’ support and want as many members as possible of our community to attend and help create a true home-field advantage for our team.”
The Rays’ announced attendance for ALCS Game 2 on Tuesday night was 32,125, nearly 8,000 fewer people than the crowd that sold out the Trop for the American League Division Series opener against the Yankees on Oct. 3. There were swaths of concentrated blue empty seats for Game 2, a day after the club also failed to sell out Game 1.
Around game time, the get-in price for upper deck seats on the primary market was $84. Fans said that prices were initially more expensive, leading some to purchase seats from the Rays at a higher cost than they were ultimately sold.
The Rays did not respond to a specific question about how they were addressing fluctuating ticket prices, and if they were reimbursing fans.
Individual clubs are responsible for establishing postseason ticket prices, which MLB has to review and approve.
“I got these (tickets), and then they dropped like a day after I purchased them,” said Travis Thomas, a Rays fan and school teacher who goes to many games. “They cut in half. And then two days later, I could have gotten them a few rows up for a third of the price.”
The concern fans have, said longtime Rays fan and blogger Danny Russell, is that they don’t fully understand the value of the tickets. Some, he said, will spend anything to attend playoff games. But that’s not a universal sentiment.
The Rays — who announced plans to move from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 2029 — have long had issues filling up their home ballpark. The Trop is not conveniently located, relative to the population center of the Tampa Bay area. Playing in St. Petersburg has exacerbated attendance issues, particularly for weeknight games, or games that are not against marquee opponents.
“The pricing and the discounts are unclear,” Russell said. “So people don’t know what fair value is for the seats. Even if there is still availability, they’re trying to decide what is a fair price to get into Tropicana Field.”
Rays players and coaches complimented the energy at Tropicana Field for the ALDS. Yankees ace Cam Schlittler said before the series started that he expected the crowd to side with New York, and added, “In some ways, to an extent, you’re playing at home.”
His prediction did not come to pass; other than a few pockets, the crowd full-throatedly rooted for Tampa Bay. The crowds in the ALCS have remained partisan for the home team, yet the number of people in the ballpark has dwindled.
In the last five days, the Rays’ official X account has tweeted the link to purchase ALCS tickets 15 times. The question for many fans is simple: what will it cost?