Be prepared to pay more to go to Jays games next season

The Blue Jays are increasing ticket prices for the second straight season, with an average bump of about 10 per cent across the board, the team announced Tuesday.

Prices for regular games will increase $3 to $6 per ticket, depending on the location, while premium tickets will go up by $4 to $10 per seat.

The Ballpark Pass, which offered a 500-level ticket for nearly every home game for less than $100, will no longer be available. The heavily discounted pass was in the process of being phased out, so its cancellation is no surprise.

Ticket prices also went up last year, increases ranging from 10 to 40 per cent, after four seasons in which they remained flat.

Last season, the Jays ticket prices were just below league average, while their fan cost index — a measure that includes the cost of concessions, parking and merchandise — was also just below the league average.

“The Blue Jays continue to be the most reasonably priced ticket compared to other professional sports in Toronto,” Stephen Brooks, the Jays’ senior vice-president of business operations, said in a statement.

The increase comes after the franchise’s most successful season in more than two decades, in which they ended a 21-year playoff drought, won their first division title since 1993 and enjoyed a massive spike in attendance.

After selling out 20 of their final 21 home games following the trade deadline, Jays attendance increased 18 per cent from 2014, or more than 5,100 per game.

Tickets in the 500-level are still available for less than $20, the team stressed in a news release, while the 50-per-cent discount for children on Jr. Jays Saturdays will continue.

The Jays open their home schedule on Friday, April 8 against the Boston Red Sox and will be celebrating their 2015 AL East title throughout the home opener weekend.

The 2016 season marks the Jays’ 40th, a milestone that will be celebrated at three games in particular: May 29 vs. the New York Yankees, July 10 vs. the Detroit Tigers and Aug. 14 vs. the Houston Astros. There will be five bobblehead giveaways, the team said, with the featured players announced at a later date.

Single-game tickets go on sale Feb. 11. Renewals for season-ticket and flex-pack holders start Thursday, followed by new multi-game package sales on Nov. 23. Brendan Kennedy