Dodgers' NLDS Game 1 Attendance Hits 11-Year Low, And the Reason is Obvious

The announced crowd was 50,194.

Detailed view of Uniqlo Field prior to game one of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 3, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From the first pitch of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves on Saturday, the effect of triple-digit heat was obvious.

Where the sun shone directly on the fans, big patches of empty seats were visible. In the shade, the seats were packed.

There were 50,194 seats sold but plenty of no shows with the temperature now at 101 in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/d96vJshVSw

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 3, 2026

With an official game-time temperature of 100 degrees, it was no surprise that the heat was going to have an adverse affect on ticket sales. The only question was how much.

When the official attendance of 50,194 was announced, it marked an 11-year low for a playoff game at Dodger Stadium. Game 4 of the 2016 NLDS between the Dodgers and Washington Nationals drew an announced crowd of 49,617 — the last time fewer than 50,000 attended a postseason game in Los Angeles.

That game was played at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday. This one was just hot.

The city of Los Angeles even sent an emergency email to residents on Thursday saying the heatwave is expected to last for “several days.”

“Keep cool by identifying and resting in shade or a building with air conditioning and drinking plenty of water,” the email read. “If you do not live in an air-conditioned building, visit a public library, recreation facility, senior center or other public air-conditioned building near you. Drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors or in the shade, stay in a cool area, and check up on relatives and neighbors, especially if they have pre-existing health conditions.”

The crowd might have benefitted from the swelter in one regard. Second-hand ticket prices for the game were the lowest of any of the four Division Series that began Saturday, according to online reseller TickPick.

The cost of admission was no different for the players, who had to stay more hydrated than usual — especially for the typically temperate West Coast.

Yet even Braves pitcher Brent Suter was taken aback by the heat.

"Definitely in the back of my mind, I'm like 100 degrees in October in LA, that's definitely not normal," he said. "Obviously super El Niño is a big thing to do with that. It's going to be a challenge for both sides to stay hydrated, especially the position players.

"I don't know how they do it day in and day out with some of this heat."

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