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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Ian Casselberry

MLB Fans Blast Rays' Abysmal, 104-Year Playoff Low Game 1 Attendance

If Rays fans were happy to see their team in their 2023 postseason opener, they didn't go to Tropicana Field to show support for a World Series contender that won 99 regular-season games.

Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series between Tampa Bay and the Rangers drew 19,704 fans. That's the lowest attendance for an MLB playoff game (in a non-COVID season) since Game 7 of the 1919 World Series, for which 13,923 fans gathered. Texas won the opener, 4–0.

To be fair, Tuesday's game was played at 3 p.m. ET, while most people were at work or school. And MLB announced the postseason schedule on Sunday, giving fans only two days to make arrangements. 

Attendance at Tropicana Field is regularly mocked. But baseball fans and media still brought out the knives for the lowest postseason turnout in 104 years. Here's a sampling:

By comparison, the Twins drew 38,450 fans for a 3:30 p.m. local start in Game 1 of their wild-card series with the Blue Jays. But low turnout isn't a new issue for the Rays. The average attendance for home games this season was 17,781, per ESPN. That ranked 27th among major league clubs. Tropicana Field's location is often blamed for poor crowds, but the Rays will soon get a new ballpark.

Game 2 of the Rangers-Rays series is also set for a 3 p.m. ET afternoon start on Wednesday. Will more fans get to the ballpark with Tampa Bay's season at stake? A loss would eliminate the Rays from the best-of-three series.

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