Start spreading the news – and maybe even a couple of extra dollar bills.
On Monday night, the World Series returns to the Bronx for the first time in 15 years when the New York Yankees take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3.
As the Bronx Bombers look to capture their 28th World Series ring, the demand to watch the pinstripes play in the Bronx has ticket prices swelling – and Bronxites are calling “foul” on the exorbitant prices.
40-year-old Sochivith Ou, from Fordham, has been a Yankees fan “forever,” but due to the cost of the tickets, will not be attending any of the Bronx-based games.
“I can’t do it. I couldn’t do it,” Ou said of buying a World Series ticket. “It was, like, a thousand dollars, $1,500. I looked at it and was like, ‘nah’, that’s literally like a check for me.”
Ou was joined by friend Norman Barahonar from Norwood on Friday night, watching the first series game at Billy’s Sports Bar on River Avenue.
“That’s insane,” Barahonar said of the ticket prices.
As of Thursday, Ticketmaster, the official ticket retailer for the World Series, was completely sold out. Resale tickets on StubHub, for Monday’s Game 3 tickets for second deck on the third baseline start at $2,089, standing-room-only were going for $1,266. Bleacher tickets start at $1,686.
New Yorkers are paying more than West Coast fans. According to Stubhub, sales for games three through five in New York are 40% higher than any of the games played in Los Angeles.
To put that price into perspective, the average median household income in Concourse, the neighborhood just west of Mott Haven where Yankee Stadium is located, was $44,610 in 2022. That makes the price of one bleacher ticket equal to approximately half of the monthly income for a Concourse neighborhood household.
Bronx native Matt Acosta, who now lives in Jersey City, returned to his home borough Friday to watch the game from Billy’s Sports Bar. It’s the closest he’ll get to watching any of the World Series live from Yankee Stadium.
“I wish I could get tickets to the World Series. That’s way out of my salary,” Acosta said, as he and his friend stood outside a packed Billy’s Sports Bar on Friday night, wearing his Yankees fitted hat, hoping to join the festivities inside.
“Insane, absolutely insane. $1,000 plus per ticket, Acosta shook his head and smiled incredulously. “That’s way too much. Yeah, no, I’m good.”
The last time the Yankees were in the World Series, in 2009, resale tickets averaged $550, according to another ticket reseller, Vivid Seats.
33-year-old Morris Park native Anthony Tochet watched Game One from The Dugout on River Avenue on Friday night. A Yankee fan “since I’m out the womb,” Tochet had no plans to buy tickets.
“Let’s just say I took a look, and I was appalled by the prices, and let me tell you why – because the Yankees are a people’s team. These were not people’s prices,” Tochet raised his dark eyebrows sternly before returning his gaze to the TV. Moments later, Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run, and while Tochet was unhappy with the price of the tickets, in that moment, he couldn’t have been happier.
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