Three decades’ worth of postseason futility will come to an end for either the Kansas City Royals or New York Mets this season. Based on the way things are going, that’s a good thing for the secondary ticket market.
ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported prices for Games 3 and 4 of the World Series at Citi Field in New York are both averaging more than $1,000 per ticket as of Monday. Game 3 comes in at a high of $1,115, and Game 4 currently sits at $1,077. Rovell noted it’s the first time since the 2013 World Series that a single ticket has hit quadruple digits.
Though the price is noteworthy, it’s actually trending downward. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday that tickets were going for an average of $1,667.82 for the trio of scheduled games at Citi Field. Jesse Lawrence of Forbes also noted the overall average resale price has now dipped lower than last season in Kansas City. Prices are tapering off in New York as well, though not as significant, per Lawrence.
The reasoning for Kansas City’s side is simple: The Royals were in the World Series a year ago. The novelty factor has worn off. They’ve been one of the best teams in baseball all season and were expected to make a deep October run after acquiring Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist at the deadline. After being an October ghost for 29 years, there was something magical about their 2014 run that isn’t quite the same a year later.
The Mets, meanwhile, haven’t been to the World Series since 2000 and have gone to the playoffs only three times since the turn of the century. It’s natural that their ticket prices would be higher, especially after such low expectations coming into the season. There is also the factor of New York prices simply being higher for everything; New York City boasts three of the five most expensive living areas in the United States, with Queens coming in at No. 5, per CBS News.
Combine those factors together, and it makes sense that the Mets are leading the Royals when it comes to setting the ticket-price bar. Secondary ticket provider ScoreBig.com currently lists its lowest ticket as going for $1,053.84.
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