Updated information on the price of tickets for the Phillies-Dodgers series should move in the morning. StubHub's release sent out Monday morning pegged the average price for the four possible games at Citizens Bank Park was $249. The get-in-the gate price was around $165.

Breaking down the games, tickets for Game 1 on Thursday night were averaging $241 and for Game 2 were averaging $256. They go up a couple of dollars for Game 6 on Friday, Oct. 17, and peak at $266 for the possible Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 18

The most expensive ticket sold was $995 for Game 1 in the Diamond Club behind home plate. The least expensive that's been sold for Game 1 has been $75.

All of this was happening as the stock market was going in the tank, but as StubHub spokesman Sean Pate noted in an e-mail: "People will skimp on what is disposable or luxury like $4 coffee or expensive Friday night dinners. But the Phillies in the NLCS comes along once a decade so that’s not something to pass on. Most of the major sporting events will see this same effect."

Assuming you can get a cheap flight, those tickets at Dodger Stadium for Games 3, 4 and 5 are a bargain compared to what they are going for here. The average price was $154, the most for Game 3 ($161) and the least for Game 4 ($144). Someone had bought a ticket for $30 to sit in the leftfield pavilion to watch Game 3. The high for Game 3 was $2500 for a seat in the Dugout Club.

Locally, Bryan Abrams of B&B Tickettown in Wilmington said as of Monday afternoon that they still had a few tickets remaining.

Expect the price for tickets to the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park, at least on the secondary market, to jump more than 50 percent from their average for the previous series.

StubHub suggested last Thursday that the average price for a Phillies ticket for the NLCS would be $222. Tickets into the NLDS at the park averaged around $145.

Dodgers tickets, as of last Thursday’s report, figured to sell for an average of $142. Tickets to see the Rays, if they advance, will average $105. Red Sox tickets at Fenway Park, assuming they advance, should top the four teams remaining, costing an average of $329. New figures likely will be released today or tomorrow morning.

No doubt you’ll have a shot at area ticket agencies. And the Phillies sometime this week will sell the allotment they have for the NLCS through a lottery. Fans can register to have their name picked for tickets to the NLCS and the World Series at phillies.com. The signup deadline is noon Thursday.

If the Phillies make it past the Dodgers and into the World Series, Stubhub said last week that those tickets for the three potential home games were going to sell for an average approaching $900. That figure was a little higher than home games at Fenway Park ($880) and about $375 more than what Rays fans will be paying in Tampa.

The thinking was that Cubs fans could pay an average of $2767 for tickets to the three games at Wrigley Field. As you know, the Dodgers bounced them in three, saving Chicago fans a lot of money but costing them far more in angst.
 

 

And the Phillies thought last year was a big hit in their ballpark merchandise store.

Turns out this season, which already produced a record attendance, is also posting significant gains in sales of apparel, etc. Scott Brandreth, the director of merchandising for the Phillies, said a short time ago that their overall numbers for the year are 18 percent ahead of last year. And the Phillies clinching a day earlier than 2007 also provided a big boost. Sales, Brandreth said, for last weekend were up 48 percent over a year ago. Remember that in 2007 the Phillies didn’t clinch until Sunday afternoon. This time the crowds flowed into the store after the team clinched on Saturday. Then came Sunday and a full house lured in by Fan Appreciation Day.

Brandreth noted that they “learned a few things from last year.” For one, they ordered in more merchandise for a fan base that’s warmed quickly to the idea of the Phillies back in the playoffs. Brandreth said that seven out of the top 10 sales items this past week are playoff-related, led by those locker-room caps the players wore during the NL East title celebration last Saturday. 

Modell’s marketing manager Derrick Morgan had said the other day that they were seeing a greater demand for some of the lesser-known stars, such as Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz. Brandreth said that he’s noticed more spikes than a trend; for instance, he said that demand picked up for Shane Victorino items about the time his grand slam was settling into the leftfield stands yesterday. "Werth will do that, too. He’ll have a huge game” and fans will come in looking to buy an item with his name or number on it.

They have already put in their early order for merchandise that says National League champion on it. That’s not supreme confidence in what’s ahead; it’s more a fact of life in the retail business. At some point in that series (and yes, they have this one to clinch first) they’ll go ahead and have the first order shipped in. If the Phillies win the National League pennant, the manufacturer will ship the rest of the order. If they don’t? Well, it happens all the time in sports. Items are just returned to the manufacturer to do with what they please. 

That was the case last September, when the Phillies had to order in shipments of wild card and NL East champion items. Up to the final weekend, no one was sure which they were going to secure. By Sunday night, the NL East caps and related merchandise were being bought and worn. The wild card stuff? Probably starting a circuitous route to the Caribbean or Europe or wherever much of that merchandise ultimately gets dumped.

    Four hours before game time there are still tickets bouncing around out on the market.
    StubHub reports that more than 300 remain for tonight’s game, which starts at 6 o’clock. Prices for those tickets are averaging $149, only a couple dollars more than the average price for Game 1 tickets. Meanwhile, a representative from Wanamaker Tickets here in town said that they are looking at an inventory of 195 tickets, all of them infield amd Diamond Club seats. Paul Conoway said  a few minutes ago that average prices for tonight’s game are running a little higher than they did for yesterday’s game. He said the infield tickets are going for $185 and up, and Diamond Club tickets were starting at $350 a seat.
     Phillies tickets are running right in the middle of the range for Division Series games. Cubs tickets are at the top of the scale, at $298. Meanwhile, ticket prices for games in Tampa are averaging $95. StubHub reported that the least expensive ticket it saw sold for Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park went for $46 in the leftfield terrace deck, and the most expensive was $936 for a seat in the Diamond Club behind home plate.
     Inventory for Game 5 on Tuesday likely will remain at its present figure – around 3,400 tickets, according to StubHub – until Monday when fans know whether that game will need to be played.

It’s obvious by the quantity and price of tickets still available for Wednesday’s game compared to last year’s Game 1 that Phillies fans have an expectation this year that they didn’t last year.

As of around 5 p.m., around 850 tickets remained for Game 1, which gets under way at 3 on Wednesday. And tickets in general for home Phillies NLDS games were selling for an average of $153, a StubHub spokesman said, as compared to $270 for last year’s home games vs. the Rockies.

Making the playoffs for a second straight year, Sean Pate said during a phone conversation earlier this evening, “has changed not necessarily the demand but the average sell price for a lot of these tickets. People are still buying them in mass numbers, but the fact they’re not spending quite as much as they were last year because they’re looking” for a run that takes them into the next round or the World Series. “There are quite a few tickets for sale under $100.”

Prices figure to drop once the clock heads past noon, as agencies and sites try to unload their inventory and some ticketholders decide not to leave work early for a mid-afternoon game.

This return trip back to the playoff also has had an impact on merchandise sales, said Modell’s marketing manager Derrick Morgan earlier today. He said that while traffic and the sales of postseason apparel “have been pretty much on par” with last year’s, the stuff leaving the stores has had a different look to it.

“Brad Lidge has picked up big time, especially considering what he’s done this year,” said Morgan, noting that the Phillies closer got an extra bounce today by being named the National League Comeback Player of the Year. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in demand for anything that has Lidge’s name or number on it. Even some of the secondary players have really picked up, guys like Jayson Werth is probably a good example of that, where you get people who already have the typical [Jimmy] Rollins, [Ryan] Howard, [Chase] T-shirts and they kind of want something that stands out a little bit more. So they look out for the secondary players, guys like Werth and Pedro Feliz and Lidge have [all] picked up.”

Back when the last generation of Phillies made a habit of getting to the postseason, those who didn't have a ticket were resigned to getting together with friends to watch the game on TV or head to the corner tappy.

Those options are still available, but every team nowadays plans a pregame game/block party that pulls more than ticketholders to the park.

Such is the case with the Phils, who for the second straight year are planning what they're calling an OctoberPhest Phillies postseason party around Citizens Bank Park. Wednesday's festivities will begin at noon, some three hours before Game 1 vs. Milwaukee and three hours after the Majestic clubhouse Store opens for business. That party likely will kick off at 3 Thursday with a later game time. And you can be there will be another one next Tuesday if a Game 5 is played.

As you might have guessed, you don't need a ticket to attend nor a license to buy some of the food and merchandise that will be available. There will be free entertainment and interactive games, along with everything from face painting to a sampling of Turkey Hill ice cream. 

Scott Palmer will emcee a rally that begins at 1:30 p.m., with appearances from Phillies broadcasters, alumni, Phillies Ballgirls and the Phillie Phanatic. Among the items the Phils say they'll raffle off are tickets to Thursday's second game.

The Phillies say they’ve sold out of their tickets for the first round of the playoffs, which open here Wednesday and continue Thursday, with an if-needed Game 5 coming back to Citizens Bank Park next Tuesday.

 

 

But these days that just means you look else where and be prepared to pay more than the cover price. Although watching the stock market at the moment, you can’t help but wonder if the charge for these tickets won’t come down rather dramatically over the next 24 hours. Expectation is one thing; reality is another.

 

 

In a release that StubHub had prepared earlier today for all of the playoff series, there were 1100 tickets available for Game 1 in Philly, 2500 available for Game 2 and 1300 for sale for the potential game 5. The numbers, in general, were half that in Milwaukee, where fans in Wisconsin haven’t seen their team in the playoffs since 1982. Miller Park has a capacity (43,000) within a thousand or two of the ballpark here.

 

 

The average ticket for the three games at Citizens Bank Park is $152, ranging from $46 to $750. That’s significantly lower than last year, where the average ticket price for Phillies home games against the Rockies was $270.

 

 

Matched against the other cities, the tickets here reportedly are falling in the middle of the scale. Tickets to see the Cubs at Wrigley Field are averaging $347, far and away higher than any other city. The average for home Red Sox games is $197, and for home Brewers game is $168. On the low end are the Dodgers ($107), Angels ($102) and Tampa Bay Rays ($84).

 

 

Don Vaccaro, CEO of ticketnetwork.com, reported a couple of hours ago that they are posting around 500 tickets for each of the three Phillies home games at an average price of $172. “Get-in prices,” he said, are around $85. Rather see the Phils in Milwaukee this weekend? It’s certainly doable. Perhaps the excitement of the Brewers’ first trip to the playoffs in 26 years will stir the fan base to come out and support the team, but that base is somewhat smaller than here. The Phillies finished fifth in attendance this year, averaging a team-record 42.254. The Brewers were ninth, bringing in almost 38,900 a game.

 

 

As far as ordering online, you’re better off ordering a day or 2 ahead of the game to make sure you allow enough time for the tickets to be shipped to your home. Asked whether anyone sells e-tickets where you can print them out at home, Vaccaro said there might be, but added that “we always prefer to sell hard tickets or souvenir tickets, because e-tickets can easily be duplicated. It’s known in the marketplace that different venues might have trouble with e-tickets, because you might have a customer coming in with one really good ticket and all their friends are sitting in the upper levels. So they do what’s traditionally called the pass-back, where they make 10 copies of their good ticket, their friends in the upper level would have the bad ticket, and then once inside they give them a copy of the good tickets and those people would all walk downstairs. So it creates a dangerous situation inside the stadiums."

 

 

Average ticket prices for last year’s series against Colorado were over $190, Vaccaro said. What affects that? “That the Phillies were in the playoffs last year, and as each year goes by that a team is in it, generally the playoff tickets don’t demand as much of a high price. A lot of the fans who went to the first round last year say, ‘I really don’t need to go to the first round this year, so the supply for the first round goes up.”

 

Bryan Abrams of B&B Tickettown in Wilmington said earlier today that they’re not seeing a diminished enthusiasm. “From our perspective, we had a lot of interest this morning,” he said. “People were calling and being in line just as much as last year.”

 

 

In that they deal with season ticketholders, they had no tickets available earlier today, but he said that they expect to get back a few from clients who, for whatever reason, won’t be able to make Wednesday’s 3 p.m. start.       

The Phillies just sent out a release noting that out of respect to and in memory of Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald, who was killed last Tuesday, and in light of his viewing tomorrow night and his funeral on Tuesday, they have chosen not to have a Center City rally as they had done last year.

Instead, fans Wednesday are invited to attend a rally that will kick off October Phest which will begin three hours before to the game.  The event will take place on Citizens Bank Way, located on the west side of Citizens Bank Park.  Further information on Wednesday's celebration will be released in the next 2 days.

This is the weekend where you can have fun with the word hypothetical, with three baseball teams at this writing separated by a game and a half and a nor’easter threatening to royally screw up the schedules for the Phillies and the Mets.

So, here’s what we do know. That if the Phillies and Mets wind up tied for first in the National League East, the tiebreaker game would be in Philly on Monday. Same if the Mets skipped past the Phils, who wound up tied with the Brewers for the wild card. The Phillies would play host to the Brewers here on Monday.

And if the Brewers, Phillies and Mets wound up tied, then the Phils and Mets would play at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, with the winner taking the division title and then preparing for the playoffs. If the Phillies would lose that, they’d play a tiebreaker vs. Brewers here Tuesday to determine the wild card qualifier.

John Weber, the VP for Sales and Ticket Operations, said full season-ticketholders should already have received tiebreaker tickets in the mail for two potential games. “And we’re in the process of working on a game plan to get information to our partial season ticketholders in terms of some sort of pre-sale opportunity and then to our e-mail club [for a] presale opportunity potentially over the weekend,” he said. “And once it became apparent, and this is where the Internet is a fantastic help to you, you’d be able to sell a lot of tickets over the Internet and over the phones and you’d have walk-up as well. But we’re still kind of working on all those plans.”

Losses the past 2 nights, Weber noted, has added a bit more urgency to having those contingency plans ready. “I thought about them a couple of weeks ago, I put them away Sunday and Monday,” he said, “and then I brought them back out. So that’s what we’re working on.”

Weber noted that the Phillies went through this drill last year, when it appeared the Phillies and Mets would wind up tied for the division lead and that a tiebreaker would be played Monday at Citizens Bank Park. He said they sold plenty of tickets that Saturday and Sunday to a potential tiebreaker. “So we know we can do it,” Weber said. “Because of the Internet, it’s one game, you can sell an awful lot of ticket fairly quickly to one game.”

That would include opening the ticket windows during and after Sunday’s finale, if needed.

Of course, you could potentially wind up with a Sunday doubleheader, depending on how much rain falls in the next 48 hours and when it finally ends. Friday night’s game appears most in peril; what was originally a night game Saturday already has been moved to 3:55 p.m. to accommodate national TV. Weber said both teams and Major League Baseball would make the decision on whether that makeup game would be Saturday or Sunday. Guessing here, but in both cases it would mean clearing the stadium and then letting the crowd in for another game rather than putting on a traditional doubleheader where the fans stay put after the first game. Assuming that happens on Sunday, the Fan Appreciation game would remain the first one, starting at 1:35, with the postponed game being played that night. But the whens and hows remain in flux; the Phillies figure to update fans as quickly as possible on their Web site.

As for the playoffs, those tickets all went out to season-ticketholders last week. The Phillies will sell standing-room tickets for playoff games, but they sell them in advance. None is sold the day of the game.