Playoff baseball returned Tuesday with a slate of four games. Fans packed the ballparks everywhere, except for Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Tampa Bay Rays game against the Texas Rangers.
Setting aside 2020’s COVID-19 restrictions, the announced crowd of 19,704 was the lowest attendance for a Major League Baseball playoff contest since Game 7 of the 1919 World Series.
According to the Society of American Baseball Research, 13,923 fans attended the World Series game between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds at Redland Field as a unique set of circumstances led to the low numbers.
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The Reds forced fans to buy tickets in three-game blocks, and Game 7 was the fourth home game. SABR credits the ticket blocks, poor communication and fans’ low expectations for the relatively small crowd.
The Reds lost the game but went on to win the series that ended up known for the infamous “Black Sox Scandal.”
Rays fans who showed up Tuesday were subject to a lackluster performance. The team committed four errors in a 4-0 loss in Game 1 of the three-game set.
Despite a 99-win season, making the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, a 2020 World Series appearance and nine postseason appearances in the previous 16 seasons, Tampa Bay continues to struggle to get fans inside the ballpark.
The Rays drew 1.44 million fans at Tropicana Field this season for an average of 17,781 for 81 games at home. While it was a strong gain from last season’s 1.13 million, the team still ranked 26th in the league. Only the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins averaged fewer fans per game this season.
While Tuesday’s crowd was above the Rays’ average attendance for the season, it was still at less than 80 percent capacity. The Rays had 33 regular-season games with a larger crowd than for a playoff game.
It’s easy to point to the 3:07 p.m. ET first pitch with two days’ notice as a reason for the low numbers. However, there were three other games played on the same day with large crowds, and the Minnesota Twins hosted the Toronto Blue Jays starting an hour later with a packed stadium.
Rays ownership has unveiled plans to open a 30,000-seat stadium in 2028. Tropicana Field leaves a lot to be desired in amenities and a modern stadium could ignite fans to show up, even if a perpetual playoff team can’t.
The Rays host Texas for an elimination game Wednesday with the same start time. As of this writing, tickets for the game were still plentiful on the Rays website.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
