Dodgers fans seemed to overwhelm the crowd of 44,473 at Petco Park for Dodgers-Padres on SundayGETTY IMAGES
Dodgers fans outnumbered Padres fans this past weekend at Petco Park, but the sellout crowds set a "ballpark attendance record for a three-game series," according to Tom Krasovic of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The Padres’ business model is "built on attracting not only Padres fans but tourists." Krasovic: "No matter how good the Padres get on the field, you should expect to see thousands of fans of almost any visiting team at Petco Park" (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 5/6). In San Diego, Kevin Acee wrote Dodgers fans on Sunday "seemed overwhelming" in the crowd of 44,473 at Petco Park. The three-day attendance total of 133,456 broke the three-game mark of 133,311 set when the Red Sox visited in '07. With the Padres' addition of 3B Manny Machado, there has been a "surge in interest in the team, which attendance has borne out." The Padres are averaging 31,904 fans through 18 home games, 5,132 ahead of last year’s final per-game average. Sunday was their fifth sellout this season. However, there was "no getting around the abundance of Dodger blue." Padres 1B Eric Hosmer said, "These guys have been to the World Series back-to-back years. You know why their fan base is so big, why it’s so strong" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/6).
