17 years have passed since the Baltimore Orioles last entered the ALCS. With the series set to begin this Friday, the Orioles will play the Kansas City Royals, who have experienced an even longer postseason drought in their nearly 30-year absence from the playoffs. As the two sleeper teams get set to battle through the postseason’s first seven-game series, prices of Orioles tickets on the secondary market have increased exponentially at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles will host Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7, which all exceed the $450 mark in average ticket price.
According to TiqIQ, the average price for Orioles vs Royals tickets at home in the ALCS is $586.20 on the secondary market. While the steep price is largely due to Games 6 and 7 reaching the $600 and $700 plateaus, the team still owns an impressive average over their first two definitive games at home. Game 1 has an average secondary price of $565.42 and a get-in price of $226 while Game 2 is slightly less expensive, averaging at $468.26 with get-in price starting at $218. If the series does reach a Game 6 back in Baltimore, the Orioles will have a $609.92 secondary average and get-in price of $199. In traditional Game 7 fashion, the average price for the possible final matchup between the two teams averages at $708.23, with a get-in price of $209.
Such extreme prices are the result of a team that hasn’t seen Championship Series action since 1997, when Titanic ruled at the box office and Mike Tyson was suspended from professional boxing for his ear-ripping incident with Evander Holyfield. The Orioles have had a considerably great year, however, owning first-place honors in the AL East while fending off the Detroit Tigers in just three games in the ALDS. Over the regular season, Baltimore had a season average of just $56.21, marking more than a 942% increase in ticket price for all ALCS games at home. Such a deep playoff void in years past has projected Orioles tickets onto another financial spectrum this season, jumping more than nine times the regular season value as the team stands just four wins away from its first World Series berth since 1983.
In the ALDS, the Orioles cruised to a three-game sweep over the Tigers and played Games 1 and 2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. During those two games, Orioles tickets had an average price of $240.67 on the secondary market, 328% above the regular season average. As stated before, the success of the team and its ALCS berth has made ticket prices increase significantly, and average secondary price is up 143% between the Divisional Series and Championship Series. The trend of increasing ticket price would surely follow the Orioles into World Series tickets, where home games already average over $1000 in Baltimore before the team has begun its ALCS run.
With the Orioles cementing their first Championship appearance in nearly two decades, Baltimore has reason to believe that this is its year to reclaim a World Series title that has eluded the city for more than 30 years. And with ticket prices continuing to increase as the Orioles play deeper into October, it would certainly appear that such reasoning is justified.
