Up
1. Phillies
Philadelphia parlayed its World Series appearance last season into a 35% boost in year-over-year attendance. Citizens Bank Park drew nearly 10,000 more fans per game this year than last, the biggest increase in MLB by nearly 2,000. The team also saw a 30% boost in viewership on NBC Sports Philadelphia, the sixth-highest increase among teams on U.S.-based RSNs this season.
2. Guardians
Cleveland got a 41.5% increase in year-over-year attendance, the highest in the American League this season and the club’s best in 30 years, and did so despite the team sliding from 92 wins in 2022 to a losing record this year. The Guardians implemented a ballpark pass and various ticket discounts to help build their attendance figures and fan base ahead of renovations coming to Progressive Field prior to next season.
3. Reds
On April 17, only 7,375 fans came to Great American Ball Park, the smallest crowd in its 20-year history. In June, the team drew 126,700 fans for a series against the Braves, the highest-attended three-game regular-season series ever at that ballpark. The Reds wound up drawing about 46% more fans to their ballpark than last year, best in MLB.
4. Rangers
Globe Life Field welcomed more than 2.5 million fans this season, including a per-game increase of nearly 6,500 in attendance, good for fourth in MLB. Even more notable was the 103% uptick in local viewership on Bally Sports Southwest, tops in the majors.
5. Orioles
If there were any doubts about the Orioles’ longevity in Baltimore, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred worked to erase them during his appearance on “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” when he said there’s “virtually no chance” the franchise relocates. That’s good news for Orioles fans, who helped the team rank sixth this season in year-over-year attendance increase (up over 6,000 fans per game). The team will finish with its best overall attendance since 2017 and had the third-biggest RSN viewership increase, up 66% on MASN.
6. Rays
Not only was attendance up nearly 4,000 more fans per game for playoff-bound Tampa Bay, the team finally announced a new stadium deal that will keep the club in St. Petersburg. The new ballpark, whose proposal includes a fixed dome and a $1.2 billion price tag, is expected to open in 2028.
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Down
1. White Sox
While heading toward what could be just the fifth 100-loss season in their 123-season history, the White Sox suffered the steepest attendance decline in the majors, down more than 4,000 per game and 312,000 overall, leading to a housecleaning of the front office.
2. A’s
The two highest-attended games at the Oakland Coliseum this season came on June 13 and Aug. 5. The common denominator? Those two dates played host to reverse boycotts, when fans packed the venue to protest the franchise’s impending relocation to Las Vegas. While that move offers a silver lining for a brighter future, the 2023 A’s had the smallest attendance across MLB at 832,352, making them the only team not to draw a million fans.
3. Mets
Not only did the Mets’ $445 million payroll fail to yield a playoff berth, the team signaled a plan to pull back on 2024 as well. While attendance was roughly flat (up about 15,000), their year-over-year figure ranks 24th of 30 MLB clubs.
