Rays World Series tickets can be found, but they’ll cost you

The Tampa Bay Rays say standing room only tickets remain for World Series Games 3 and 4 at Tropicana Field, although several thousand can be purchased through secondary sellers.

And they’re not cheap, although fans in Milwaukee might argue otherwise.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers begin the best-of-seven matchup at American Family Field in Milwaukee Friday and Saturday. The series moves to St. Petersburg for three scheduled games beginning Monday.

According to SeatData.io, which tracks secondary ticket prices, demand for tickets is “extreme” in both cities.

The Rays’ website lists only standing-room only in center field for $800, plus another $81.60 in fees. But if you want to sit, you’ll have to try secondary-market platforms like Seat Geek, StubHub, Ticketmaster or Game Time.

As of Thursday morning, SeatData.io listed a median asking price of $1,456 for Game 3, with the least expensive tickets starting at $720. For Tuesday’s Game 4, the median was $1,442, with get-in prices starting at $759.

These prices don’t include fee add-ons. And, of course, they will change depending on supply and demand.

Game 5 would be played Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Trop if neither team sweeps the series. The Rays’ website lists several thousand 300-level tickets starting at $920, along with standing-room only. SeatData.io listed a median price of $1,683, with the lowest “get-in” cost of $710.

Priced out in Milwaukee

Those are bargains if you want to attend any of the games at Milwaukee’s 41,900-seat American Family Field, which sold out all four scheduled games before the Rays had clinched their World Series spot by winning the American League pennant Monday.

Again, secondary markets have several thousand seats available to watch the Brewers’ first World Series appearance in 44 years.

Thursday morning, SeatData.io showed the Game 1 median asking price at $5,731, with the lowest ticket starting at $2,091. Game 2’s median cost was $4,646 and the lowest “get-in” ticket will set someone back $1,890.

The price gap is striking enough that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports droves of Brewers fans are flying south to see their team. (The math: airfare of $700, three-night hotel stay $600 and the $1,456 median ticket price.)

Why the big discrepancy? Start with Milwaukee’s four-decade wait for another World Series appearance, while the Rays are making their third visit in less than 20 years.

Brewers officials also said before the team clinched the National League pennant that inventory available for individual purchase would be “extremely limited,” with season-ticket holders given priority access to postseason tickets.

Cash appreciates the atmosphere

Tampa Bay’s 2020 appearance took place at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tropicana Field lists its capacity at just over 31,000 including the 300 level, which is typically closed during the regular season. With standing room admission, there have been three crowds over 40,000 and two others over 31,000 during the playoffs.

The prospect of a packed Trop has special meaning for Rays manager Kevin Cash, who said after Tampa Bay clinched the AL Championship Series that the atmosphere during the team’s postseason run had been among the best he had experienced.

“2020 was as special as any season I’ve been a part of,” Cash said. “But saying that, we didn’t have 40,000 people behind us. And excited to see what those 40,000 people can bring on Games 3, 4 and 5, for sure.”

‘Timeless Ticket’

While the Rays’ postseason ticket sales have had few problems, the Brewers had to deal with one unforeseen miscue.

The team ran a promotion over a decade ago offering fans a “Timeless Ticket” granting them admission to any game in the future if they paid $1,000. Now that the Brewers are in the World Series for the first time since 1982, several hundred fans who took that deal were eager to redeem those tickets they bought in 2015.

That has led to some complications. Some fans say they weren’t offered the good seats they were promised for the World Series. Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger says the team made mistakes in its “internal communications on the logistics of fulfilling the requests.”

“While we were able to accommodate all with seats, we received feedback from some that they were unhappy with their seat locations,” Schlesinger said. “Clearly, even with extraordinary limitations on available seats, we did not live up to the spirit of the program, and we have been working through a resolution.”

Rick Mayer is a reporter with WUSF, the bay area’s NPR affiliate.