Wednesday, March 20, 2013

In Wake Of Injuries, Yankees Tickets Drop In Price


By Dan Groob, TiqIQ

Plagued by injuries and controversy, the New York Yankees prepare to enter the 2013 season amidst a cloud of uncertainty. With World Series odds of 13-to-1, just 8th best in baseball, the Yankees find themselves in unfamiliar territory—that of (relatively) low expectations.

While the injuries have piled up for New York, as Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira will join Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list to start the season, the biggest question mark for the Yankees this year may in fact be pitching. Beyond ace CC Sabathia, the rotation becomes quite questionable. Hiroki Kuroda had a fantastic season in 2012, going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA, but his peripherals (3.86 FIP/4.15 tERA) and age (38) point to some regression. Third starter Andy Pettitte will turn 41 this season. Phil Hughes remains perpetually enigmatic.
With half the offense figuring to be on the DL and no marquee pitchers beyond Sabathia to draw gate receipts, Yankees fans are not exhibiting the same level of excitement for the start of 2013 as they have in years past. According to TiqIQ, New York Yankees tickets at the stadium are currently averaging $89 dollars, well below that of the LA Dodgers who pace the league. Many of the lowest priced series of the season will take place in the opening months.

Cheapest 5 Series (Opponent | Average price | Get-in price)
  • 4/25 - 4/28 vs TOR | $65 | $4
  • 6/4 - 6/5 vs CLE | $64 | $6
  • 5/14 - 5/16 vs SEA | $57 | $4
  • 4/16 - 4/18 vs ARI | $56 | $4
  • 4/29 - 5/1 vs HOU | $49 | $4
It is interesting to see the Toronto Blue Jays on this list of cheap series, because for the first time in a long time, they are the favorites for the AL East crown. The Blue Jays have not won the division since 1993; when they went on to win the World Series. Contrarily, it is not so surprising to see the Houston Astros as the cheapest series of the season. The Astros begin their first year in the American League West after playing in the National League Central for decades. They also figure to be historically bad this season. Naturally, the Astros series possess three of the five cheapest single games of the season at Yankee Stadium.

Cheapest 5 Games (Opponent | Avg. | Get-in)
  • 4/29 vs HOU | $46 | $4
  • 4/30 vs HOU | $48 | $4
  • 4/16 vs ARI | $54 | $4
  • 5/16 vs SEA | $55 | $4
  • 5/1 vs HOU | $56 | $4
While ticket prices are down for the first few months of the season, it is still the age old promise of a new beginning that makes the April 1st home opener the highest priced single game ticket of the season. This also serves to prop up the opening series as the highest priced series at Yankee Stadium this year. Naturally, this game is also against the rival Boston Red Sox, and the three Red Sox series are the three highest priced of the season. Rounding out the top five are series against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants from Sept 20 to Sept 22, and the crosstown Subway Series against the New York Mets from May 29 to May 30. The Sept 21 contest against the Giants is the only non-Sox game to crack the top five most expensive games of the season at Yankee Stadium. Even in a year where the Red Sox could very well finish in last place in the division, it still takes a champion to put a crack in the ticket pricing of the most storied rivalry in sports.

Top 5 Series (Opponent | Avg. | Get-in)
  • 4/1 - 4/4 vs BOS | $154 | $19
  • 9/5 - 9/8 vs BOS | $137 | $19
  • 5/31 - 6/2 vs BOS | $124 | $24
  • 9/20 - 9/22 vs SFG | $124 | $16
  • 5/29 - 5/30 vs NYM | $116 | $28
Top 5 Games (Opponent | Avg. | Get-in)
  • 4/1 vs BOS | $220 | $52
  • 9/8 vs BOS | $146 | $29
  • 9/7 vs BOS | $143 | $25
  • 9/6 vs BOS | $137 | $27
  • 9/21 vs SFG | $135 | $25
Remember, for the best deals on MLB tickets, or tickets to any event, visit TiqIQ.com, and for even more deals visit them on Google+

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)