OPENING-DAY TICKET DEMAND PUSHING PRICES
Daniel Earnest adopted the Padres in 2015. He grew up a Braves fan, has been to 17 stadiums around the country and says Petco Park has the best view of any of them. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic barred fans from attending games last year, the 26-year-old Earnest didn’t have any complaints about the view he discovered by propping his bicycle against a fence beyond Gallagher Square to peer onto the field as the Padres clinched their first playoff berth in 14 years and again as they held off the Cardinals in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
He loves baseball that much.
Especially these Padres. So he didn’t think twice about scouring the secondary market for a way into Petco Park on opening day.
The price he paid at Vivid Seats for two upper-deck seats in right field: $460, including service fees.
“I was telling my family over the weekend that opening day is the best day of the year,” said Earnest, a project manager for a software company who lives in Pacific Beach. “The fact that we’re able to go and the county is in a good enough place with the pandemic is awesome. We’re all excited to see ownership put money up and allow us to have a team we’re all confident can go all the way.
“It’s well worth the investment.”
Earnest isn’t alone. Opening-day rates are through the roof on the secondary market, due in large part to social distancing restrictions limiting the supply as the Padres embark on arguably the most anticipated season in franchise history.
The week began with the average ticket price for the Padres’ opener sitting at $269 with a get-in price of $137, up 169 percent from opening day in 2019, according to TicketIQ. Because of the limited inventory, the price for some tickets topped $1,500. Those actually sold at StubHub have averaged $384, the sixth-most expensive seat for a home opener through Monday. For the entirety of the season, Padres tickets at StubHub are averaging $158 a seat, trailing only the Dodgers ($230) and the Nationals ($172).
That data mirrors the rest of the secondary market for Padres tickets.
Tickets at SeatGeek start at $76 for Thursday’s opener and the asking price for seats near the field is as high as $826 (Section 109, Row 5). They start at $88 at VividSeats.com and go as high as $1,000 (Section 111, Row 11).
Asked on Tuesday about the high prices, Padres CEO Erik Greupner said, “Unfortunately we can’t control the secondary market. We have always allowed our seasonticket members, as one of the benefits to membership, to be able to resell their tickets. They can’t sell more than 50 percent but they can sell up to 50 percent.”
Greupner did add that the team is going to have “a special surprise” for seasonticket members who attend the April 16-18 series against the Dodgers. He said an announcement would be forthcoming.
The high-end prices set by season-ticket holders looking to cash in on the limited supply doesn’t mean those tickets will actually sell for that much.
But some have.
One fan shared a receipt from StubHub after paying more than $1,700, including service fees, for two premium seats. He asked that the Union-Tribune not share his name.
Alfonso Ceja, 31, was of the same mind when he decided to go in on season tickets with his two younger brothers, his brother-in-law and two friends. Because they are new Padres members and opening-day tickets in a socially distanced Petco Park went to those with seniority, Ceja paid $1,200, including service charges, for four tickets in Section 129.
Cejas can’t remember the last time he missed opening day. He wasn’t about to let money stand in the way in 2021.
“To not have baseball last year, I was willing to pay more,” said Ceja, a delivery driver from Spring Valley. “The team is looking good and not being able to go to a game in over a year kind of makes it more intriguing for me to go.”