SWING AT A RING
Planning to attend? Bust out your wallets
Want to go to Game 1 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday?
For the cost of a monthly car payment, you can get into the stadium. It’ll cost much more for a seat and a parking spot, though, to witness the matchup between the Astros and the Washington Nationals. A VIP-treatment, front-row seat at the game is up for grabs for the price of a down payment on a house.
And die-hard fans are offering up almost anything online for a ticket to see their team play in the World Series, including a kidney, physical labor and a dog.
“Things I CANNOT give you: $1,000,” @hillmacmagill, a Nationals fan, declared on Twitter. “Things I CAN give you:…my soul.”
An Astros fan polled the internet to ask whether he should fix his truck or get the coveted tickets. “Why is this a question? Enjoy the game,” @Oilerdawg replied.
“If there are any wealthy folks out there who have a spare World Series ticket ... I will forever be in your debt and will love you forever,” Hunter Dobson wrote on Twitter, adding the hashtag, “#PoorButLoyal.”
As of Monday morning, the average ticket price for the first two games at Minute Maid was about $950. That’s slightly less than tickets for the first two games of the Astros’ 2017 World Series, said Chris Leyden, communications manager of SeatGeek.
But the average price for this year’s games 6 and 7, which might not happen depending on who wins the first few matches, are higher than in 2017, Leyden said.
“That’s pulling up the average right now,” he added.
Games at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., are even pricier. Standing room tickets start at $739 on StubHub, an eBay-owned online ticket exchange company. By comparison, standing room-only spaces at Minute Maid this week are going for $360 on the resell market.
Because the Nationals have never made a World Series before, the demand is extremely high, Leyden said. D.C. hasn’t hosted a World Series since 1933 when the Washington Senators lost to the New York Giants.
Tickets for the Houston games are no longer available on the MLB’s website, but third-party vendors online have inventory. In addition to the standing room prices, StubHub is charging $650 for a seat on the outfield deck, a dugout box seat goes for about $2,500, and that ritzy ballgame experience, a spot in the elite Diamond Club, goes for $10,500.
SeatGeek is charging $390 for standing room-only tickets to Wednesday’s game. For a seat in Row A behind home plate, the website is asking $1,100.
Individual sellers are also offering tickets on Craigslist. One is offering four Row 16 tickets for $250 each. Another is asking $1,200 for a pair of seats in Row 3 for games 1 and 2 of the series.
While the tickets on Craigslist are cheaper than other online options, the site does warn buyers to protect themselves from scams.
Because ticket prices can change up to the first inning of a game, Leyden said his advice is to keep checking.
“If you feel priced out right now, you should check back later,” he said. “Chances are they will drop.”
Some Houston businesses are giving away tickets as social media promotions. Among them: Remedy Roofing is asking people to like its Facebook page and tag friends for a chance to win, and Morales Funeral Home is raffling tickets, airfare and a one-night stay in Washington for two to see the Astros play in D.C.
@OuttaCtrlStitch publicly offered to make a custom quilt in exchange for two tickets in an offer to MLB Network host Chris Rose; analyst Kevin Millar, a former Boston Red Sox player; and Geoff Blum, a two-time Astro and current TV color analyst for the team.
Young Astros enthusiasts such as @Texanfan4ever hold out hope that one day they will be able to afford to see the excitement of a series run. “Hopefully we make it to the World Series when I’m older and not broke.”
Kaylise Irizarry, an Astros fan from Blessing, said as a college student she can’t afford to be at the ballpark, but added she, too, is willing to pay the ultimate price to see it.
“(Selling) soul for World Series tickets,” she tweeted.