Tampa Bay Area Minor League Trends 2017 - By Team

As we saw in a previous post, Minor League Baseball attendance in the Tampa Bay area increased 5% from 2016. In 2017, Minor League Baseball in 2017 distributed a total 412,212 tickets between the area's four teams.

The totals of each Tampa Bay area teams:

• Clearwater Threshers: 200,293 total / 2,987 per game
• Tampa Yankees: 93,742 total / 1,420 per game
• Bradenton Marauders: 79,331 total / 1,300 per game
• Dunedin Blue Jays: 38,963 total / 562 per game

Clearwater and Tampa saw increases in attendance, while attendance dropped for Bradenton and Dunedin. The following charts depict each team's trends in attendance (total and per game) since 2005 - and 2010 in Bradenton's case. By team breakdowns will occur in a later post.

Clearwater Threshers

• Total: 200,293 (up 10%)
• Per Game: 2,987 (up 10%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 116 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game attendance since 2005:

Tampa Yankees

• Total: 93,792 (up 27%)
• Per Game: 1,420 (up 22%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 202 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game attendance since 2005:

Bradenton Marauders

• Total: 79,331 (down 9%)
• Per Game: 1,300 (down 3%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 214 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game average attendance 2005-2017:

Dunedin Blue Jays

• Total: 38,963 (down 22%)
• Per Game: 573 (down 26%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 296 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game average attendance 2005-2017:

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 30, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, September 30, 2017:

Total Attendance: 15,416

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 80
• Attendance: 15,416
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer
• Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Miguel Castro
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,635
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 17,677
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 18,450
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,862
• Promotions (if any): Giveaway
• Other events:
  
  • USF Football
  • Tampa Bay Tailgate Fest

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 29, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, September 29, 2017:

Total Attendance: 21,142

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 79
• Attendance: 21,142
• Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,635
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 18,000
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,855
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,587
• Promotions (if any): $7.11 tickets and $5 drafts
• Other events: None

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 21, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, September 21, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games played.

Tampa Bay Area Minor League Baseball Totals 2017

In 2017, total attendance for Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay was 412,212. In total, 260 Florida State League games were played between Bradenton, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tampa.

412,212 was an increase of 20,128 over 2016's attendance of 392,084. While attendance increased, 2017's attendance was still the second lowest Tampa Bay area Minor League total since the Bradenton Marauders began play in 2010.

The following shows Tampa Bay area Minor League attendance totals since 2005:

Since 2005, almost 5 million tickets have been sold for Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay.

Returning to 2017, here is how Minor League attendance fared throughout the season. Local Florida State League regular season games started on April 6th and ended on September 2nd.

The large attendance spike in the middle is the July 3-5th weekend. Each local team had a fireworks display that was among their highest draws of the year. The attendance spike on the right in mid-August was when St Lucie Met Tim Tebow visited the Tampa Yankees and Clearwater Threshers. Each team saw an influx of fans hoping to see the ex-NFL quarterback in action.

I'll break down each team later on this week, but here is the overall trends for each of the four local Florida State League teams:

Total Attendance

The following graph depicts the above chart:

Attendance Per Game

The following graph depicts the above chart.

A few things we will discuss in a later post:

• Clearwater's increase
• Dunedin's decrease
• Bradenton's missing games
• The Tebow Effect
• Where the four Tampa Bay Minor League teams rank nationally

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 20, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, September 20, 2017:

Total Attendance: 24,238

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 78
• Attendance: 24,238
• Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell
• Opponent: Chicago Cubs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jon Lester
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,635
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 24,642
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 12,958
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 13,810
• Promotions (if any): App Wednesday
• Other events: None

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 19, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, September 19, 2017:

Total Attendance: 25,046

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 77
• Attendance: 25,046
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer
• Opponent: Chicago Cubs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Mike Montgomery
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,442
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 25,046
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 14,621
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,833
• Promotions (if any): $2 Kids Tuesday
• Other events: None

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Rays Attendance Review: August 2017

Welcome to our fifth monthly review of the Tampa Rays 2017 attendance. This post will look at attendance in games played from August 4, 2017 to August 24, 2017.

• Total August 2017 Tampa Bay Rays home attendance: 216,867
• Average attendance per game: 14,457
• Highest attendance: 22,328 on Tuesday, August 8th
• Lowest attendance: 8,264 on Wednesday, August 23rd
• Average August game time: 3 hours, 0 minutes
• Highest attended series: 17,090 per game vs Red Sox, August 8-9
• Lowest attended series: 10,115 per game vs Blue Jays, August 22-24
• Competing events:
  
  • August 5: Tampa Bay Rowdies @ Al Lang Stadium (attendance 5,619)
  • August 19: Tampa Bay Rowdies @ Al Lang Stadium (attendance 6,710)
• Total Tampa Bay Minor League July attendance: 81,850
• Tampa Bay Minor League attendance per game: 1,637 (50 games)
• Houston Astros relocated games: 3 games - total attendance: 12,993

Comparing August 2017 with previous years

The following chart compares August 2017 average attendance to other recent years.

The average August 2017 attendance increased 11% (1,467 more fans per game) than the August 2016 per game average. August 2017 stopped a four year decline in average August attendance.

Weekdays vs Weekends

Let’s now look at the Rays June attendance on weekdays (Mon-Thurs) and weekends (Fri-Sun). As I have pointed out many times, the Rays usually have one of the biggest differences in Major League Baseball in regards to weekday versus weekend attendance.

August 2017 breakdown:

• Weekday home games: 6
• Weekend home games: 9

This chart shows the Rays average weekday attendance in August since 2007.

Weekday August attendance in 2017 increased 424 fans per game, giving the Rays their highest weekday August average since 2014. The last three years have been very similar. 2015-2017 are 1,800-1,500 per game less than a similar group in 2011-2013.

The following chart shows Rays average weekend attendance in August since 2007.

The Rays August weekend average attendance in 2017 was 2,828 less than their August average attendance in 2016. Rays August 2017 average attendance was the lowest of the Sternberg ownership.

Conclusion

For the first time in 5 years, August average attendance increased. However, although attendance on the weekdays was better than it was in 2016, attendance on weekends was not - and a larger percentage of the total number of August games.

August attendance is often a reflection of how the team is doing on the field. If the team is in contention, attendance tends to increase. However, if the team is not or falls out of the race, attendance will decline from July attendance and look more like April or May attendance.

The Rays struggled in August and so did attendance.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 18, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, September 18, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 17, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, September 17, 2017:

Total Attendance: 14,936

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 76
• Attendance: 14,936
• Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Opponent: Boston Red Sox
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,309
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 19,168
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,185
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,119
• Promotions (if any): Hooded towel giveaway
• Other events: Tampa Bay Buccaneers football - Raymond James Stadium

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 16, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, September 16, 2017:

Total Attendance: 14,942

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 75
• Attendance: 14,942
• Starting Pitcher: Alex Cobb
• Opponent: Boston Red Sox
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Rick Porcello
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,314
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 19,697
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 18,703
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 15,413
• Promotions (if any): Blake Snell Bobblehead
• Other events: FAMU Football - Florida Classic, Raymond James Stadium: attendance 17,101

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 15, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, September 15, 2017:

Total Attendance: 16,006

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 74
• Attendance: 16,006
• Starting Pitcher: Matt Andriese
• Opponent: Boston Red Sox
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,319
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 20,376
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,581
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 12,507
• Promotions (if any): $7.11 tickets and $5 drafts

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 14, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, September 14, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 13, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, September 13, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 12, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, September 12, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 11, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, September 11, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 10, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, September 10, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 9, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, September 9, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 8, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, September 8, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 7, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, September 7, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 6, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, September 6, 2017:

Total Attendance: 7,663

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 70
• Attendance: 7,185
• Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell
• Opponent: Minnesota Twins
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Aaron Slegers
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,309
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 8,600
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 11,932
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 12,507
• Promotions (if any): App Wednesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Playoff Home Game: 1 / 2
• Attendance: 497
• Starting Pitcher: Jordan Romano / Erik Swanson
• Opponent: Dunedin Blue Jays
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Albert Abreau / TJ Zeuch

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 5, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, September 5, 2017:

Total Attendance: 6,802

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 69
• Attendance: 6,509
• Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Opponent: Minnesota Twins
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Bartolo Colon
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,429
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 9,308
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 13,578
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,056
• Promotions (if any): $2 kids Tuesday

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Playoff Home Game: 1
• Attendance: 293
• Starting Pitcher: Josh DeGraaf
• Opponent: Tampa Yankees
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brian Keller

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 4, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, September 4, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,108

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 68
• Attendance: 12,108
• Starting Pitcher: Alex Cobb
• Opponent: Minnesota Twins
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jose Berrios
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,562
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 12,108
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 13,897
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 15,452
• Promotions (if any): Salute to Service Monday

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 2, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, September 2, 2017:

Total Attendance: 5,016

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 4,015
• Starting Pitcher: Bret Helton
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Travis Ott
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,310
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,184
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,888
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,506
• Promotions (if any): Fireworks

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 68
• Attendance: 1,001
• Starting Pitcher: TJ Zeuch
• Opponent: Clearwater Threshers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Sixto Sanchez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 567
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 859
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 863
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 843
• Promotions (if any): Fireworks

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - September 1, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, September 1, 2017:

Total Attendance: 7,527

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 69
• Attendance: 1,384
• Starting Pitcher: Erik Swanson
• Opponent: Lakeland Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Gregory Soto
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,420
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 942
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1693
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,629
• Promotions (if any): Wing Deal Friday

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 72
• Attendance: 6,143
• Starting Pitcher: Harold Arauz
• Opponent: Dunedin Blue Jays
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Conor Fisk
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,987
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 3,451
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,962
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,067
• Promotions (if any): Fireworks

No other local games played.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 31, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, August 31, 2017:

Total Attendance: 5,902

Houston Astros:

• Relocated Home Game #: 3


• Attendance: 3,385


• Starting Pitcher: Collin McHugh


• Opponent: Texas Rangers


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Nick Martinez


• Avg Relocated Attendance to Date: 4,331


• Promotions (if any): None

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 68


• Attendance: 587


• Starting Pitcher: Albert Abreu


• Opponent: Lakeland Tigers


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Kyle Dowdy


• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,420


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 854


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,057


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 755


• Promotions (if any): Thirsty Thursday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 69


• Attendance: POSTPONED


• Opponent: Lakeland Tigers

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 68


• Attendance: 1,930


• Starting Pitcher: Edgar Garcia


• Opponent: Dunedin Blue Jays


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jordan Romano


• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,940


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 3,002


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,356


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 2,419


• Promotions (if any): Tacos and Taps Thursday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 30, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, August 30, 2017:

Total Attendance: 6,841

Houston Astros:

• Relocated Home Game #: 2
• Attendance: 6,123
• Starting Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel
• Opponent: Texas Rangers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Andrew Cashner
• Avg Relocated Attendance to Date: 4,804
• Promotions (if any): None

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 67 / 68
• Attendance: 718
• Starting Pitcher: Brian Keller / Adonis Rosa
• Opponent: Bradenton Marauders
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Logan Sendelbach / Pedro Vasquez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,433
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 947
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,105
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,438 (Keller) / 2,002 (Rosa)
• Promotions (if any): Wine Wednesday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 29, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, August 29, 2017:

Total Attendance: 3,845

Houston Astros:

• Relocated Home Game #: 1
• Attendance: 3,845
• Starting Pitcher: Mike Fiers
• Opponent: Texas Rangers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Martin Perez
• Avg Relocated Attendance to Date: 3,845
• Promotions (if any): None

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: Not Announced
• Starting Pitcher: Taylor Widener
• Opponent: Bradenton Marauders
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Bret Helton
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,456
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,095
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,087
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,573
• Promotions (if any): BOGO Burger Tuesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 67
• Attendance: POSTPONED
• Opponent: Bradenton Marauders

No other local games scheduled

Hurricane Harvey forces Astros to return to the dome life

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Houston Astros will have their next three, if not six, home games moved to Tropicana Field due to the flooding and damage to the City of Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey.

According to Marc Topkin:

Tickets for the games — 7:10 tonight and Wednesday, 1:10 Thursday — will be $10 with general admission seating in the lower bowl (excluding premium areas), available via raysbaseball.com/tickets and the Gate 1 box office. Gates open one hour before first pitch, with parking $10 and limited concessions available. Fans will be encouraged to make donations to the hurricane relief via redcross.org, calling toll-free 1-800-435-7669 (HELP-NOW) or texting HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Playing in a dome is nothing new to the Astros. Besides playing the Rays three times a season at the Trop since moving to the American League in 2013, they played in the Houston Astrodome from 1965 to 1999. Ironically, the Astrodome was baseball's first domed stadium and Tropicana Field may be its last (non-retractable version).

Shifting games is also not unusual for the Astros. According to MLB.com, in 2008,

Hurricane Ike was bearing down on Houston, and the first two games of the Astros' weekend series against the Cubs were shifted to Miller Park in Milwaukee.

In regards to attendance, I will be counting the Astros attendance in the total Tampa Bay baseball attendance in 2017. My daily attendance reports will start with the Houston Astros, followed by local Minor League games.

Although tickets are only $10, I don't expect the weekday Astros versus Rangers games to sell very well. Attendees will probably either be hardcore baseball fans or people looking to attend to support relief efforts.If I had to guess, I would say each game of the Astros v Rangers might draw between 5,000-10,000. That is entirely a guess. They could sell-out in a wave of emotional support for the City of Houston. Which would be a very good thing.

I do expect the weekend attendance versus the New York Mets to be higher than the weekday games, if the Astros are still playing in the Trop this weekend. Many local Mets fans will head to Tropicana Field to see the Mets, who last played in Tropicana Field August 6-9, 2015.

Of course, Astros attendance at Tropicana Field will not count in Rays attendance, but it will be a separate category in tallying up total baseball attendance in Tampa Bay in 2017. I would guess there will be more local fans at the Astros games than at many spring training games, and I count those.

These games will most definitely help put total Tampa Bay baseball attendance over 2 million for the 12th year in a row.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 28, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, August 28, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: POSTPONED Rain
• Opponent: Bradenton Marauders

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 27, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, August 26, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 68
• Attendance: CANCELLED Rain
• Opponent: Tampa Yankees

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 68
• Attendance: CANCELLED Rain
• Opponent: Jupiter Hammerheads

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 26, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, August 26, 2017:

Total Attendance: 1,503

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 67


• Attendance: 1,503


• Starting Pitcher: Conor Fisk


• Opponent: Tampa Yankees


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Albert Abreau


• Avg Attendance to Date: 561


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 527


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 851


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 438


• Promotions (if any): Back to School / Fireworks

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 67


• Attendance: CANCELLED


• Opponent: Jupiter Hammerheads

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 25, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, August 25, 2017:

Total Attendance: 395

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: 395
• Starting Pitcher: Jordan Romero
• Opponent: Tampa Yankees
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Erik Swanson
• Avg Attendance to Date: 546
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 332
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 411
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 833
• Promotions (if any): BOGO Margaritas

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: POSTPONED
• Opponent: Jupiter Hammerheads

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 24, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, August 24, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,789

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 67
• Attendance: 10,133
• Starting Pitcher: Alex Cobb
• Opponent: Toronto Blue Jays
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Tom Koehler
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,614
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 13,260
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 11,874
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 15,756
• Promotions (if any): Senior Special Thursday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: 670
• Starting Pitcher: Adonis Rosa
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Kyle Dowdy
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,456
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 921
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,105
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher:
• Promotions (if any): Silver Sharks

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 65
• Attendance: POSTPONED
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 70
• Attendance: 1,587
• Starting Pitcher: Edgar Garcia
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Clark Beeker
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,955
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,211
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,391
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,619
• Promotions (if any): Taps and Tacos Night

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 65
• Attendance: 399
• Starting Pitcher: Taylor Saucedo
• Opponent: Florida Fire Frogs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Matt Withrow
• Avg Attendance to Date: 549
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 383
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 460
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 394
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Exploring Rays Attendance Under 10,000: 2017 Update

This post is an update to other posts I've done exploring the Rays' lowest attended dates since 2007. This post will look at these dates and try to determine any patterns or trends.

The following chart depicts the 40 times the Rays announced less than 10,000 tickets sold since 2007. This list does not count the May 1st-3rd, 2015 relocated games between the Rays and Orioles.

Rays attendance failed to reach 10,000 fans the following amount of times per year:

• 2007: 15
• 2017: 10
• 2012: 4
• 2013: 1
• 2014: 1
• 2015: 9

Rays attendance failed to reach 10,000 on the following days of the week:

• Thursday: 12
• Tuesday: 11
• Wednesday: 10
• Monday: 6
• Friday: 1

Rays attendance failed to reach 10,000 during the following months:

• April: 4 (2014 x 1, 2012 x 1, 2007 x 4)
• May: 17 (2017 x 6, 2015 x 2, 2013 x 1, 2012 x 2, 2007 x 6)
• June: 3 (2017 x 2, 2007 x 1)
• July: 2 (2007 x 1)
• August: 8 (2017 x 2, 2015 x 3, 2012 x 1, 2007 x 2)
• September: 5 (2015 x 3, 2007 x 2)
• October: 1 (2015)

Rays attendance failed to reach 10,000 for the following starting pitchers:

• Shields: 6 (2012 x 1, 2007 x 5)
• Archer: 4 (2017 x 1, 2015 x 2, 2014 x 1)
• Moore: 3 (2015 x 2, 2014 x 1)
• Hellickson: 3 (2013 x 1, 2012 x 2)
• Odorizzi: 3 (2017 x 2, 2015 x 1)
• Kazmir: 2 (2007 x 2)
• Smyly: 2 (2015 x 2)
• Sonnanstine: 2 (2007 x 2)
• Fossum: 2 (2007 x 2)
• Seo: 2 (2007 x 2)
• Cobb: 1 (2017 x 1)
• Faria: 1 (2017)
• Pruitt: 1 (2017)
• Karns: 1 (2015)
• Colome: 1 (2015)
• Jackson: 1 (2007)
• Hammel: 1 (2007)

The Tampa Bay Lightning played on the following dates:

• April 16, 2007 – attendance: 9,157 (Lightning Playoff)
• April 3, 2014 – attendance: 9,571
• May 7, 2015 – attendance 8,701 (Lightning Playoff)
• May 26, 2015 - attendance 9,628 (Lightning Playoff)

Rays attendance failed to reach 10,000 for the following opponent:

• Mariners: 7
• Twins: 6
• Orioles: 5
• Royals: 5
• Angels: 4
• Blue Jays: 4
• Marlins: 3
• White Sox: 2
• Athletics: 2
• Indians: 1
• Rangers: 1

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 23, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, August 23, 2017:

Total Attendance: 9,962

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: 8,264
• Starting Pitcher: Austin Pruitt
• Opponent: Toronto Blue Jays
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Marcus Stroman
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,698
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 13,608
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 12,407
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,967
• Promotions (if any): App Wednesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: POSTPONED due to rain
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 69
• Attendance: 1,403
• Starting Pitcher: JoJo Romero
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Sean Poppen
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,976
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,315
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,057
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,619
• Promotions (if any): Silver Sharks

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: 295
• Starting Pitcher: Josh DeGraaf
• Opponent: Florida Fire Frogs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Ariel Caicedo
• Avg Attendance to Date: 551
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 381
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 454
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 461
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 22, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, August 22, 2017:

Total Attendance: 16,059

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 65
• Attendance: 11,948
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer
• Opponent: Toronto Blue Jays
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Chris Rowley
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,815
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 14,276
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 14,364
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,318
• Promotions (if any): $2 kids Tuesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 870
• Starting Pitcher: Brian Keller
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Austin Sodders
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,469
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,005
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,087
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,582
• Promotions (if any): BOGO Burger Tuesday

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 3,045
• Starting Pitcher: Seranthony Dominguez
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Randy LeBlanc
• Avg Attendance to Date: 3,001
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,498
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 3,861
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,029
• Promotions (if any): $1 ticket Tuesday

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 291
• Starting Pitcher: Conor Fisk
• Opponent: Florida Fire Frogs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Kyle Wright
• Avg Attendance to Date: 555
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 398
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 548
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 340
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 21, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, August 21, 2017:

Total Attendance: 0

No local games scheduled

The Tebow Effect on Tampa Bay Minor League Attendance

One of the biggest, if not THE BIGGEST, story in Minor League Baseball this season is the play of former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Years ago, I wrote for a Minor League Baseball site, and I guarantee I would have been all over this story in every location he played. But as this website is focused strictly on Tampa Bay area baseball, I am keeping my Tebow writing to only his appearances here.

Prior to his arrival in the Florida State League, Tebow boosted attendance throughout the South Atlantic League Columbia Fireflies, the Mets Low-A Minor League affiliate. Baseball America had a very good article stating Tebow was worth approximately 2,000 fans per game.

For the lowest rungs of Minor League Baseball, that's very significant.

Although he has played for the St Lucie Mets since early July, Tebow visited Tampa Bay teams for the first time in early August, when the Mets played the Tampa Yankees and Clearwater Threshers. The Mets played their scheduled games against Dunedin and Bradenton prior to Tebow's arrival.

While it is easy to say "Tebow drew X fans", the true measure is looking how many he drew above the average per day. Weekends of course draw more than weekdays and heavily promoted days draw more than non-promoted days. The below chart shows the effect Tim Tebow had on attendance at Steinbrenner Field and Spectrum Field.

Clearly, Tebow had a huge impact on attendance, from 170% above daily average to 362% above daily average. Even the Threshers $1 Tuesdays saw a huge bump in attendance. While total attendance for Tebow's games in Tampa Bay was 40,351, these games drew 24,336 above average. That's 252% or 2.5x the average attendance, every game.

Should Tim Tebow be playing in Minor Leagues? Maybe, maybe not. Is he taking up the spot a younger prospect should have? Maybe, maybe not. Is he a feel-good story when our world is lacking in them? Perhaps. Is he good for the business of Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay? Absolutely.

Additionally, for those curious, here is how the Tampa Bay Rays fared in ticket sales while Tebow played the Yankees across the bay.

There isn't much here. Rays attendance on weekdays did worse, but that could also be attributed to the team's worse play of late. Rays attendance on Saturday did better, but attendance on Sunday was almost exactly the average. There is almost no way to attribute the effect of Tim Tebow to any of these four games.

Tim Tebow will continue to be a story as long as he continues to play Minor League Baseball. While he might play for the Mets as they visit Tampa Bay during Spring Training, his Minor League experiences against Tampa Bay area teams is likely over, as he will probably move up to the Mets AA Minor League affiliate next season.

But for one week during one season, Tim Tebow fans in Tampa Bay came out in droves* to see their favorite player.

(*droves = a completely arbitrary term of measurement not often used on this website)

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 20, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, August 20, 2017:

Total Attendance: 14,250

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: 13,354
• Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell
• Opponent: Seattle Mariners
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Yovani Gallardo
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,876
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 12,357
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,373
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 13,267
• Promotions (if any): Giveaway: Alarm  Clock

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 896
• Starting Pitcher: Albert Abreau
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brady Anderson
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,479
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,176
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,176
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 798
• Promotions (if any): Kids Funday Sunday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 19, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, August 19, 2017:

Total Attendance: 13,618

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 12,218
• Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Opponent: Seattle Mariners
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Ariel Miranda
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,917
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 11,859
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 19,045
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,685
• Promotions (if any): Giveaway: Tote bag

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 61
• Attendance: 1,400
• Starting Pitcher: Taylor Widener
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Clark Beeker
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,489
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,211
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,818
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,573
• Promotions (if any): Service Member Saturday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 18, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, August 18, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,425

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 11,501
• Starting Pitcher: Austin Pruitt
• Opponent: Seattle Mariners
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Erasmo Ramirez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,977
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 11,501
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,725
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,201
• Promotions (if any): $7.11 tickets and $5 drafts

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 60
• Attendance: 924
• Starting Pitcher: Erik Swanson
• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Sean Poppen
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,491
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,184
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,724
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,649
• Promotions (if any): Wing Deal Friday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 17, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, August 17, 2017:

Total Attendance: 7,132

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 67
• Attendance: 5,856
• Starting Pitcher: Edgar Garcia
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Harol Gonzalez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 3,001
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 5,735
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,464
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 2,566
• Promotions (if any): Taps and Taco Night

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 65
• Attendance: 948
• Starting Pitcher: Cam Vieaux
• Opponent: Daytona Tortugas
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Seth Varner
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,264
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 662
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 940
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,141
• Promotions (if any): None

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 328
• Starting Pitcher: Josh Degraaf
• Opponent: Palm Beach Cardinals
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Sam Tewes
• Avg Attendance to Date: 560
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 314
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 466
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 494
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 16, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, August 16, 2017:

Total Attendance: 4,215

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 66
• Attendance: 3,326
• Starting Pitcher: McKenzie Mills
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Nabil Crismatt
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,954
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 5,694
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,150
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,326
• Promotions (if any): Silver Sharks Wednesday

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: 560
• Starting Pitcher: Pedro Vasquez
• Opponent: Daytona Tortugas
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Wyatt Strahan
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,270
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 567
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,068
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,141
• Promotions (if any): None

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 61
• Attendance: 329
• Starting Pitcher: Conor Fisk
• Opponent: Palm Beach Cardinals
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Mike O'Reilly
• Avg Attendance to Date: 563
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 310
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 477
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 345
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 15, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, August 15, 2017:

Total Attendance: 9,106

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 65
• Attendance: 8,214
• Starting Pitcher: JoJo Romero
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Scarlyn Reyes
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,948
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 6,879
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 3,935
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 4,358
• Promotions (if any): $1 Tuesday tickets

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 588
• Starting Pitcher: Logan Sendelbach
• Opponent: Daytona Tortugas
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jonathon Crawford
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,282
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 570
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 681
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,156
• Promotions (if any): None

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 60
• Attendance: 304
• Starting Pitcher: Jordan Romero
• Opponent: Palm Beach Cardinals
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Connor Jones
• Avg Attendance to Date: 567
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 301
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 581
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 869
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 14, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, August 14, 2017:

Total Attendance: 6,394

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 64
• Attendance: 5,543
• Starting Pitcher: Seranthony Dominguez
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Andrew Church
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,858
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 5,543
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 3,016
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,026
• Promotions (if any): Feeding Frenzy Monday, Zooperstars, Tim Tebow's 30th Birthday

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 553
• Starting Pitcher: Gage Hinz
• Opponent: Daytona Tortugas
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Wendolyn Bautista
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,295
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 553
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 637
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 2,018
• Promotions (if any): None

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 59
• Attendance: 298
• Starting Pitcher: John Straka
• Opponent: Palm Beach Cardinals
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Ramon Santos
• Avg Attendance to Date: 572
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 298
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 754
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 344
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 13, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, August 13, 2017:

Total Attendance: 22,334

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 61
• Attendance: 17,775
• Starting Pitcher: Austin Pruitt
• Opponent: Cleveland Indians
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Corey Kluber
• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,052
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 16,531
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,738
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 20,051
• Promotions (if any):

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 59
• Attendance: 2,404
• Starting Pitcher: Taylor Widener
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Kevin Canelon
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,501
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 4,353
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,216
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,591
• Promotions (if any): Kids Funday Sunday

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 63
• Attendance: 1,426
• Starting Pitcher: Harold Arauz
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Gregory Soto
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,812
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,878
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,613
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 2,042
• Promotions (if any): Seadog Sunday with Brunch

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 61
• Attendance: 729
• Starting Pitcher: James Marvel
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Matt Andriese
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,308
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 1,879
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 950
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 729
• Promotions (if any): Family Fun Day Sunday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 12, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, August 12, 2017:

Total Attendance: 34,378

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 60
• Attendance: 22,024
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer
• Opponent: Cleveland Indians
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Mike Clevinger
• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,023
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 16,117
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 19,728
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,731
• Promotions (if any): USF Alumni Night

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 58
• Attendance: 7,157
• Starting Pitcher: Erik Swanson
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Yeizo Campos
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,484
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 5,002
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,995
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,715
• Promotions (if any): Back to School Party / Post-game Fireworks

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 62
• Attendance: 3,805
• Starting Pitcher: Ranger Suarez
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Sandy Baez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,837
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 3,060
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 4,337
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,261
• Promotions (if any): Fireworks / Superhero Night

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 60
• Attendance: 1,392
• Starting Pitcher: Cam Vieaux
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Eduar Lopez
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,319
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,108
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,775
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,190
• Promotions (if any): 90s Night

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 11, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, August 11, 2017:

Total Attendance: 24,396

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 59
• Attendance: 16,794
• Starting Pitcher: Jacob Faria
• Opponent: Cleveland Indians
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Carlos Carrasco
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,919
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 13,163
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 18,347
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,836
• Promotions (if any): $7.11 tickets and $5 drafts

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 57
• Attendance: 4,619
• Starting Pitcher: Adonis Rosa
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Nabil Crismatt
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,381
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 3,925
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,813
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 4,619
• Promotions (if any): Wing Deal Friday

Clearwater Threshers:

• Team Home Game #: 61
• Attendance: 2,171
• Starting Pitcher: Sixto Sanchez
• Opponent: Lakeland Flying Tigers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Spencer Turnbull
• Avg Attendance to Date: 2,819
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,953
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 2,673
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 2,171
• Promotions (if any): Post Game Concert: Stormbringer

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 59
• Attendance: 812
• Starting Pitcher: Pedro Vasquez
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Burch Smith
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,318
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,288
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,456
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,190
• Promotions (if any): Bark in the Park

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 10, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, August 10, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,765

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 58
• Attendance: 9,533
• Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell
• Opponent: Cleveland Indians
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Danny Salazar
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,904
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 9,533
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 12,092
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 13,252
• Promotions (if any): Senior Special Thursday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 56
• Attendance: 3,232
• Starting Pitcher: Chaz Hebert
• Opponent: St Lucie Mets
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Scarlyn Reyes
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,321
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 3,232
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,153
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 3,232
• Promotions (if any): Thirsty Thursday

Bradenton Marauders:

• Team Home Game #: 58
• Attendance: 1,063
• Starting Pitcher: Logan Sendelbach
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brock Burke
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,327
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 2,779
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 940
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,298
• Promotions (if any): Thirsty Thursday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 9, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Wednesday, August 9, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,593

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 57
• Attendance: 11,853
• Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Opponent: Boston Red Sox
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Rick Porcello
• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,018
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 21,104
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 12,868
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 14,910
• Promotions (if any): App Wednesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 55
• Attendance: 740
• Starting Pitcher: Brian Keller
• Opponent: Clearwater Threshers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: JoJo Romero
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,285
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 842
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,303
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,760
• Promotions (if any): Wine Wednesday

No other local games scheduled

Tropicana Field leads MLB in food safety violations again

The good news is that Tropicana Field is getting cleaner. The bad news is that for seven years, Tropicana Field has been the most disgusting place in Major League Baseball to eat.

In 2010, ESPN published an article entitled "What's Lurking in Your Stadium Food?" which looked at food safety violations at sports stadiums across the United States. Out of 107 stadiums, Tropicana Field finished worst.

At Tropicana Field -- home of the Tampa Bay Rays -- every one of the stadium's 47 food and drink outlets inspected incurred a critical violation during inspections within the past year, according to Florida inspection reports. Violations include food residue in a cooler, toxic chemicals stored too close to food preparation areas, "slime" in the ice machines and thermometers not readily visible to measure the temperature of hot foods.

In 2011, Business Insider examined food safety records at Major League Baseball stadiums. Tropicana Field finished with 217 major violations, the most in MLB.

Two years later, WFTS ABC Action News explored Tropicana Field's food safety records. While they found slight overall improvements, there were still critical mistakes.

There are 47 eateries at the Trop in St. Petersburg and in 2012, two had perfect scores.  But over 46% had five or more critical violations.

Yesterday, Sports Illustrated released another list of food safety violations across Major League Baseball for the 2016 season. Again, Tropicana Field was last with the most violations.

With a staggering 105 critical violations in 2017, Tropicana Field brings up the rear in our rankings. Two food entities (the catering kitchen and the stand outside Section 303) tallied over 20 violations each. Violations ranged from the observed presence of live insects to black mold accumulating inside an ice bin. An employee was observed handling hot dogs and cash without washing hands in between. An ESPN report from seven years ago found that every inspected stand at Tropicana had at least one critical violation. That number has dropped from 100% to about 50%, but the Tampa Bay stadium still leads the way in eye-popping food safety numbers.

This is a pattern and a problem.

Yes, the Trop is over 30 years old. Yes, some of the pipes and other structural components are getting older. But there is no excuse why the Rays food service contractor is continuously ranked among the dirtiest in Major League Baseball.

Food is an essential part of the game watching experience. If the Rays food contractor can't get that right, they should be replaced. It might be too late to replace the food service vendor this season, but immediately after the season, every process should be re-evaluated and assessed.

Although the food service vendor and the Rays are different entities, the Rays need to get on top of this. They are the face of this issue. They need to issue a statement to fans and the public informing them what will be done. If they can issue statements on war statues across the bay, they can issue a statement telling people how food quality will improve in Tropicana Field.

As well, the major news outlets in Tampa Bay need to stay on this story. Don't accept slick Public Relations platitudes. Inform the public what is happening today to fix the problem and what is planned to happen in the future.

For seven years, food service has been a problem at Tropicana Field. As the Rays struggle with attendance, the experience should not be discouraging people from coming back. Bad food is a bad experience.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 8, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Tuesday, August 8, 2017:

Total Attendance: 23,343

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 56


• Attendance: 22,328


• Starting Pitcher: Austin Pruitt


• Opponent: Boston Red Sox


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale


• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,093


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 22,955


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 14,666


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 22,328


• Promotions (if any): $2 Kids Tuesday

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 54


• Attendance: 1,015


• Starting Pitcher: Taylor Widener


• Opponent: Clearwater Threshers


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Seranthony Dominguez


• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,296


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 862


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 1,111


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,500


• Promotions (if any): BOGO Burger Tuesday

No other local games scheduled

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 7, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, August 7, 2017:

Total Attendance: 892

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 53
• Attendance: 892
• Starting Pitcher: Erik Swanson
• Opponent: Clearwater Threshers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Edgar Garcia
• Avg Attendance to Date: 1,301
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 824
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 775
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 1,171
• Promotions (if any): $1 hot dog Monday

No other local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 6, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Sunday, August 6, 2017:

Total Attendance: 12,478

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 55
• Attendance: 12,129
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer
• Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jimmy Nelson
• Avg Attendance to Date: 15,978
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 16,380
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 17,735
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 17,373
• Promotions (if any): Swim goggles giveaway

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 58
• Attendance: 349
• Starting Pitcher: Conor Fisk
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Burch Smith
• Avg Attendance to Date: 577
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 605
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 363
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 347
• Promotions (if any): Kids free on Sunday

No other local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 5, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Saturday, August 5, 2017:

Total Attendance: 16,551

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 54
• Attendance: 15,849
• Starting Pitcher: Alex Cobb
• Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Kyle Davies
• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,051
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 18,506
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 19,473
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 16,318
• Promotions (if any): Superhero Day: Iron Man giveaway

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 57
• Attendance: 702
• Starting Pitcher: Josh DeGraaf
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brock Burke
• Avg Attendance to Date: 581
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 642
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 785
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 536
• Promotions (if any): Junior Jays Saturday

No other local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 4, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Friday, August 4, 2017:

Total Attendance: 21,572

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Team Home Game #: 53
• Attendance: 21,164
• Starting Pitcher: Jacob Faria
• Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brandon Woodruff
• Avg Attendance to Date: 16,055
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 21,164
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 18,520
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 18,045
• Promotions (if any): $7.11 tickets and $5 drafts

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 56
• Attendance: 408
• Starting Pitcher: Jordan Romano
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi
• Avg Attendance to Date: 579
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 632
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 413
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 921
• Promotions (if any): BOGO Margaritas

No other local games scheduled.

Tampa Bay Rays July 2017 Attendance Review

Welcome to our fourth monthly review of the Tampa Rays 2017 attendance. This post will look at attendance in games played from July 6, 2017 to July 26, 2017.

• Total July 2017 Tampa Bay Rays home attendance: 200,519
• Average attendance per game: 20,051
• Highest attendance: 24,842 on Friday, July 7th
• Lowest attendance: 12,471 on Tuesday, July 25th
• Average June game time: 3 hours, 3 minutes
• Highest attended series: 23,112 per game vs Red Sox, July 6-9
• Lowest attended series: 15,362 per game vs Orioles, July 24-26
• Competing events:
  
  • July 6: Tampa Bay Rowdies @ Al Lang Stadium (attendance 6,269)
  • July 22: Tampa Bay Rowdies @ Al Lang Stadium (attendance 5,619)
  • July 22: Tampa Bay Storm @ Amalie Arena (attendance: 10,567)
• Total Tampa Bay Minor League July attendance: 103,804
• Tampa Bay Minor League attendance per game: 1,702 (61 games)

Comparing July 2017 with previous years

The following chart compares July 2017 average attendance to other recent years.

The average July 2017 attendance increased 21.75% (3,582 more fans per game) than the July 2016 per game average. July 2017 was the highest average July attendance since 2012.

Weekdays vs Weekends

Let’s now look at the Rays June attendance on weekdays (Mon-Thurs) and weekends (Fri-Sun). As I have pointed out many times, the Rays usually have one of the biggest differences in Major League Baseball in regards to weekday versus weekend attendance.

July 2017 breakdown:

• Weekday home games: 4
• Weekend home games: 6

This chart shows the Rays average weekday attendance in July since 2007.

Weekday July attendance in 2017 increased 3,548 fans per game, giving the Rays their highest weekday July average since 2013.


The following chart shows Rays average weekend attendance in July since 2007.

The Rays July weekend average attendance in 2017 was 4,194 more than their July average attendance in 2016. Rays July average attendance was the highest it had been since 2014.

Conclusion

July 2017 was a good month for Rays attendance. While July typically does well because it is a summer month when kids are out of school and baseball season has rule of the sports world, this July was a result of a well-drawn series and improved play by the Rays.

August attendance is often a reflection of how the team is doing on the field. If the team is in contention, attendance tends to increase. However, if the team is not or falls out of the race, attendance will decline from July attendance and look more like April or May attendance.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - August 3, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Thursday, August 3, 2017:

Total Attendance: 390

Dunedin Blue Jays:

• Team Home Game #: 55
• Attendance: 390
• Starting Pitcher: John Straka
• Opponent: Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Brandon Lawson
• Avg Attendance to Date: 582
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent: 677
• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 484
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 390
• Promotions (if any): None

No other local games scheduled.