The Twins' first 14 home games this season have brought the seven smallest crowds in Target Field historyGETTY IMAGES
The Twins currently have the second-best record in the AL at 17-10, but the early season success has not "translated into one critical area: attendance," according to Michael Rand of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. In 14 home dates through the end of April -- including three in March when the Twins opened at Target Field -- the team has averaged just 17,007 fans. That was down from the 21,072 they averaged through April '18. The "seven smallest crowds in Target Field history all came in the first 14 home games this season," including Tuesday's announced crowd (tickets sold) of 12,181 that featured "far fewer fans in the actual stands." There are "plenty of reasons and theories for the early attendance dip." The weather has been "not good," as the Twins played twice in March at Target Field on days in Minneapolis that "didn't reach 40 degrees." There also "wasn't much optimism from the fan base" heading into the season. As a result, the Twins are "paying for it at the gate" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/2).
REAL PHANATICS: In Philadelphia, Katie McInerney notes attendance at Citizens Bank Park so far this season is "way up through the first month" compared to a year ago, and suggests it is "maybe" due to the offseason signing of Bryce Harper. The team is averaging 36,995 fans in its first 17 home games, compared to just 25,810 through the first 16 last year. That figure gives the Phillies the fourth-highest average attendance in MLB so far, trailing just the Dodgers, Cardinals and Yankees. Average attendance last season at Citizens Bank Park was 27,318, giving the Phillies the 17th-best attendance in MLB (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/2). ESPN.com's Jeff Passan wrote MLB attendance in April was "salvaged" by the Phillies, whose year-over-year attendance gain of 11,660 fans per game "nearly matches the combined jump of the 12 other teams posting better attendance" so far in '19 (ESPN.com, 5/1).
GETTING HIT HARD: The White Sox yesterday hosted a doubleheader against the Orioles while the Royals hosted the Rays, and YAHOO SPORTS' Chris Cwik wrote in the case of both the home teams, there are "some legitimate reasons" why the Royals and White Sox "failed to draw" fans to the ballpark. Both games were "rescheduled due to postponements." Both early games also "took place during the afternoon on a weekday." But even if one were to "slightly discount the low attendance figures from those games," the rest of the season "can't be ignored." The fans have "made their opinions clear: If a team isn't going to spend, the fans won't either" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/1).
