Fastball

MLB Attendance Spikes Over the Weekend, Reaches Heights Not Seen Since 2008

The 45 MLB games between June 14 and June 16 drew nearly 1.7 million fans, further demonstrating baseball's resurgence in the public eye.
Sam Connon|
Jun 16, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Rob Refsnyder (30) tries to catch a foul ball during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
Jun 16, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Rob Refsnyder (30) tries to catch a foul ball during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. | Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red SoxNew York YankeesNew York MetsSeattle MarinersBaltimore OriolesSt. Louis CardinalsWashington NationalsChicago Cubs

In case there was still any question, baseball is back – and then some.

MLB revealed the league-wide attendance numbers from this past weekend, which featured rivalry showdowns between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park and the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Other high-profile series – like the Baltimore Orioles hosting the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres visiting the New York Mets – were also big draws, getting fans to visit ballparks across the country.

In total, 1,688,731 fans attended the 45 MLB games between June 14 and June 16. That was good for an average of 37,527 fans per game.

Both the total and average figures were the highest of any weekend since Aug. 22 to Aug. 24, 2008.

Sunday alone accounted for 612,066 fans, which was the highest Sunday total Sept. 28, 2008. Games on that day 16 years ago drew just 603 more fans.

As for Saturday, it featured the highest average attendance on a Saturday since 2013 and the highest average attendance on a pre-July Saturday since 2008.

Back in May, MLB announced additional attendance numbers that were the best of their kind since 2014. The league also saw attendance spikes in 2023, which were largely credited to rule changes such as the pitch clock and banning the shift.

Altogether, the number of fans still willing to shell out for MLB games post-COVID has been promising, which cannot be said for every sport at every level over the past few years. The latest figures demonstrate just how much of a hold baseball still has on the American public, with superteams and superstars alike bringing fans out in droves.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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