Minor League Baseball said it drew 6.09 million in attendance in April, a 5.3% increase over April ’16. The affiliated minors’ average of 3,986 per game is outpacing the 3,850 it averaged in April ’08, when it set an all-time record for annual attendance. The Triple-A Int'l League Charlotte Knights led all U.S.-based clubs with an average attendance of 9,118 per game. “Minor League Baseball clubs have put a great deal of effort into creating some great promotions to draw fans to the ballpark early in the season,” said MiLB President & CEO Pat O’Conner (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). Meanwhile, the AP's Pete Iacobelli noted Tim Tebow continues to be the "biggest show currently playing Class A ball," as fans are still "flocking to stadiums and jamming ticket lines" across the South Atlantic League to see the former Heisman Trophy winner. The Hickory Crawdads "sold out four games" against Tebow's Columbia Fireflies, and the total of 17,500 fans for the series is more than the 15,900 "they drew their first eight games." The Lakewood BlueClaws are hosting the Fireflies in a four-game set beginning on Saturday, and they "have sold out of their 6,588 reserve seats for two of the games with very limited seating available for the other two" (AP, 5/7).
