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09/30/26 12:00:00
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09/30 10:55 CDT MLB attendance rises for 4th straight year to 71.75 million,
boosted by Rays' return to Trop
MLB attendance rises for 4th straight year to 71.75 million, boosted by Rays'
return to Trop
NEW YORK (AP) --- Major League Baseball attendance rose for the fourth straight
year to 71.75 million, reaching its highest total since 2017, with a boost from
the Tampa Bay Rays' return to Tropicana Field.
Teams averaged 29,589 for 2,425 dates, a 0.4% increase from the average of
29,471 last year, when attendance totaled 71.4 million. MLB attendance has
risen in four straight seasons for the first time since 2004-07.
Thirteen teams had increases and 17 dropped.
Tampa Bay had the biggest increase, up 628,255 to 1,414,975 as the Rays won the
AL East for the first time since 2021. The Rays spent 2025 at Steinbrenner
Field, the New York Yankees' spring training ballpark, while damage to their
stadium from Hurricane Milton was repaired. Steinbrenner Field's capacity for
the Rays was 10,046, and they drew up to 28,055 this year at the Trop.
Five clubs topped 3 million, down from six last year and matching 2024. There
were eight in 2023.
The two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers led the sport with a
team-record 4,034,219, an average of 49,805.
The Chicago White Sox, who earned an AL wild card this year by finishing with
an 84-78 record following three straight 100-loss seasons, rose 540,687 to
1,986,425.
Toronto, coming off an AL pennant in 2025, increased 488,943 to 3,338,878, and
Seattle, which came within one win of reaching its first World Series in 2025,
rose 345,745 to 2,883,798.
The New York Mets, who entered the season with the sport's highest payroll, had
the biggest decline, a 472,450 drop to 2,712,120. The Mets had a 12-game losing
streak in April and finished last in the NL East for the first time since 2003.
Houston fell 255,759 to 2,472,118 despite winning the AL West title --- with an
81-81 record that was the poorest for a first-place team. Kansas City dropped
221,703 to 1,527,098 and Arizona, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Colorado and
Philadelphia all experienced decreases of 100,000 to 200,000.
The Athletics, based for a second season at Sutter Health Park in West
Sacramento, California, before a planned move to a new Las Vegas ballpark in
2028, drew a major league-low attendance of 799,240 and average of 9,867. They
played six games at Las Vegas Ballpark, another minor league stadium, and
averaged 9,983 in West Sacramento and 8,451 in Las Vegas.
Miami dropped from 28th to 29th in attendance at 1,231,018.
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