MLB Enjoyed Record-Breaking Attendance Numbers This Past Weekend

According to MLB, teams drew more fans from May 17 to May 19 than they had on any other pre-June, non-Opening Day weekend since 2014.

May 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11) scores a run and celebrates with outfielder Austin Hays (21) during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

Fans came out in drove to watch America's pastime this past weekend, filling up MLB ballparks at near-record rates.

Average attendance across the league from May 17 to May 19 was 34,465, MLB announced Monday. Excluding Opening Weekends, that marked the highest league-wide average attendance on a pre-June weekend of the 2020s so far.

It was the highest figure since May 16 to May 18, 2014.

This weekend’s average attendance across @MLB marked the league’s best pre-June weekend in a decade, excluding Opening Weekends. pic.twitter.com/ctvt4q7m2Y

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) May 20, 2024

Another note that MLB included in its press release was that last Tuesday and Wednesday earned the highest total attendance on those respective weekdays before June 1 since May 24 and May 25, 2016. Thursday, meanwhile, had the highest average of any multi-game Thursday since Aug. 13, 2015, not including Opening Days.

To this point in the season, MLB attendance is up 2.1% compared to where it was in 2023.

That isn't a meaningless achievement either, considering 2023 already marked an uptick in attendance virtually across the board. The pitch clock and new shift rules shortened games and increased the number of balls put in play, and league research showed that those factors drew more fans to the stands.

Baseball attendance, as shown in these stats, has done more than simply crawl back to pre-COVID levels. Even with teams like the Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays pulling averages down, the league is still drawing serious interest across the country.

Those numbers will surely go up once summer officially starts, per usual, as students and families will have the chance to see more games than they do in the spring or fall.

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