The Philadelphia Phillies are seeing positive ripple effects from their World Series run and big offseason spending.
The team’s season-ticket base jumped to around 15,250 for the 2023 season, up 50% from approximately 10,000 last year on the heels of their run to the World Series where they fell to the Houston Astros.
The Phillies further stoked fan excitement by doubling down over the offseason, signing superstar shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract. They also added starting pitcher Taijuan Walker for $72 million over four years and reliever Craig Kimbrel for $10 million on a one-year deal, among others.
Their estimated payroll entering the 2023 season is $259.8 million.
The average attendance at the Phillies’ 43,000-seat Citizens Bank Park in 2022 was 28,459, 16th out of 30 MLB teams. They expect that figure to improve this season. The Phillies’ home opener against the Cincinnati Reds is sold out, while the following game is on its way toward a sellout.
The team was 10th in attendance in 2019 with an average of 33,671. The 15.5% drop from 2019 — the last season before 2022 unaffected by pandemic-related restrictions — was more than twice the league average, as MLB attendance fell by almost 6% in that span.
