D'Backs' Attendance Remains Low At Chase Field Despite On-Field Success

Despite leading the NL West, the D'Backs "were 22nd in fan attendance" going into last night's game against the Rockies with an average attendance of 24,396 this season at Chase Field, according to Master Tesfatsion of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The other seven teams “currently holding a playoff seed are within the top 15 in that category.” The D'Backs are filling just 50.2% of Chase Field seats, "27th in the league." D'Backs P Joe Saunders said, “Us players, we’re kind of sick and tired of the green outs we’re having. We’d like to see our fan base give us a little bit more support.” To accommodate the "tough times" in Phoenix, the D’Backs “have created a number of ticket promotions to try and draw fans, including everything from free tickets to kids as a back-to-school initiative to Facebook and Twitter deals.” During this week's three-game home series against NL West rival the Rockies, the D'Backs "slashed all upper-level seats to $5" and attendance peaked at 23,062 last night. Still, D’Backs Senior Marketing Dir Karina Bohn said, “We still get feedback from people saying that’s even too much for people to swallow.” With an “apparent fan interest in a team looking to make its first postseason appearance since 2007,” D’Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that the “support will come eventually.” Hall: “This is a bonus year because we were hoping this would be the year that would bridge us to get to consistent winners. Now we’ll be able to sustain it with all the talent we have, that fan base will continue to grow” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/1).

LEAN CUISINE: In L.A., Bill Plaschke examines attendance at Dodger Stadium under the header “Things Are Lean At Chavez Ravine.” Plaschke attended yesterday's Padres-Dodgers and notes it was the "smallest crowd I’ve seen in my 23 years of following the Dodgers." While the official attendance was 27,767, 11 sections of the ballpark were "completely vacant" and there were "maybe 8,000 folks" at the game. Plaschke added, "It might be the smallest crowd in the 49-year history of Dodger Stadium. ... It looked and felt as though the McCourt era had finally, resolutely bottomed out” (L.A. TIMES, 9/1).