MLBSep 30
Rays’ Return Helps MLB Attendance Reach Highest Total Since 2017
MLB drew 71.75 million fans as attendance climbed for the fourth straight season, with Tampa Bay posting the largest gain and the Dodgers setting a club record.
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League attendance continues to climb
Major League Baseball extended its attendance growth to a fourth consecutive season, drawing 71.75 million fans for its strongest total since 2017. Across 2,425 dates, clubs averaged 29,589 spectators, an increase of 0.4% over last year’s 29,471. Total attendance stood at 71.4 million last year. The league had not recorded four consecutive seasons of growth since 2004-07. The gains were not universal: five teams surpassed 3 million fans, compared with six last year.
Tampa Bay leads the gains
The Rays delivered the largest attendance increase after returning to Tropicana Field, adding 628,255 fans to reach 1,414,975 while capturing their first AL East championship since 2021. Tampa Bay had played at Steinbrenner Field in 2025 during repairs to hurricane damage at its home stadium. That temporary venue held 10,046 for Rays games; crowds at Tropicana Field reached 28,055 this year. The Dodgers paced MLB with a franchise-record 4,034,219 fans and an average of 49,805. The White Sox also enjoyed a substantial jump, adding 540,687 to reach 1,986,425 as an 84-78 finish secured an AL wild card following three straight 100-loss seasons. Toronto increased its total by 488,943 to 3,338,878, while Seattle added 345,745 to finish at 2,883,798.
Mets suffer biggest decline
The Mets recorded the steepest drop, losing 472,450 in attendance to finish at 2,712,120. Despite opening the season with baseball’s highest payroll, they finished last in the NL East for the first time since 2003. Houston’s attendance fell by 255,759 to 2,472,118 even as the club won the AL West. Kansas City also declined, dropping 221,703 to 1,527,098. The Athletics had MLB’s lowest total at 799,240 while playing primarily in West Sacramento ahead of their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.
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