A demanding full-time work schedule, family life, and/or your own sports leagues may leave you with no time to attend baseball games. But with each MLB team playing a full schedule of 162 MLB games, including 81 home baseball games each season, there are many opportunities to watch your favorite team play.
The best time to buy baseball tickets will vary based on your city, the MLB team you are rooting for, and how well that team is playing. In addition, it will also depend on if you can plan your schedule out in advance to schedule an MLB game or if you need to purchase tickets at the last minute.
Best Time to Buy Baseball Tickets
MLB Off-Season Promotions/Season Ticket Packages
One of the best times to purchase MLB tickets is during the MLB off-season after Major League Baseball releases the new MLB schedule.
Many MLB teams will look to accommodate the fans looking to buy cheap baseball tickets, which also lets teams know which games may sell out and which ones will not.
Around this time, teams will offer MLB season ticket packages and off-season promotional prices. MLB season ticket packages range from team to team, with multiple packages. Season ticket packages might be a 10-game package up to a full 81-game home season ticket package.
In return for buying multiple games, prices will be discounted, allowing fans to secure the same ticket for each baseball game they attend.
While being able to find cheaper baseball ticket options will present themselves at this time, it may be difficult for some to plan their schedule that far in advance.
For every baseball fan, you must weigh this as an option, and as a worst-case scenario, you resell the tickets closer to the date if you have additional plans.
Mid-Week Baseball Games
Another best time to buy baseball tickets is mid-week, with Tuesday and Wednesday baseball games being a top preference. This also includes during the early months of the baseball season and during the MLB Schedule in September.
With kids in school or returning to school and adults working a bunch during the week, it is difficult for fans to attend those games.
Purchase Tickets to Baseball Games Days/A Day in Advance
The busy day-to-day and week-to-week schedule leaves limited time for experiences, including attending a baseball game. However, waiting till the week of, and even a day or days prior to the game, may sometimes reward you with some of the best ticket prices.
In fact, according to data provided by SeatGeek, Major League Baseball fans can save up to 38 percent by purchasing tickets the week of the game compared to a fan buying a ticket a few weeks or even a month prior.
This will vary from team to team, depending on how popular the MLB team is and how they are playing at the time of purchase.
In-Season MLB Team Promotions/Season Ticket Packages
In addition to those other popular times to buy baseball tickets, buying tickets during in-season team promotions and season ticket packages offered during the season is another excellent time to take advantage.
While this will vary based on ticket sales at your local baseball stadium or your favorite MLB team stadium, some teams offer deals all season.
This includes during the dog days of summer when it gets scorching, and stadiums have difficulty selling out.
Are baseball tickets cheaper after the game starts?
Are baseball tickets cheaper after the game starts? It depends. It can be yes or no. Most, if not all, MLB stadiums will not reduce baseball ticket prices after the game starts.
However, buying through a secondary ticket market may have tickets reduced as fans who currently have the ticket would rather recover some money from the ticket or the company recover some money than none at all.
Check with your local baseball stadium for additional details.
How to Get Cheap Baseball Tickets
Now that you have information on finding cheap baseball tickets and some approaches, you can take advantage of them. That being said, let’s take a quick look at a plan for you to get cheap baseball tickets.
- Look at your schedule – the first step in preparing to find cheap tickets to a baseball game is to find a day or days that work for you to attend a game. Once done, list all the days that will work for you. This pre-planning may be complex, as last-minute plans, such as work/school schedules, almost always creep out of nowhere. However, pre-planning lets you know your schedule to quickly make changes or avoid scheduling events on the same day.
- Compare your Schedule to MLB Schedule/Baseball Schedule – After setting aside a day or days, look at your local baseball team schedule or your favorite MLB team schedule to see how it aligns with your plan. Since MLB teams are on the road for half of the season, they will not be at their home schedule every week, and sometimes they may be on the road for a double-digit road trip.
- Look for Stadium Promotions/MLB Season Ticket Packages – now that you have figured out a baseball game to attend, take the time to look for any promotions or season ticket packages that the team might be offering. The best time to take advantage of these promotions is after the next season’s baseball schedule release and before the season starts. If a promotion is available, take advantage of it early while allowing you to save money on baseball tickets.
- MLB Season Arrives, Check Secondary Markets – if the MLB schedule is ongoing, look at secondary markets for baseball games that align with your schedule. Some secondary markets will reduce tickets if tickets are not selling or the game is approaching. Some of the top secondary ticket markets include StubHub, SeakGeek, eBay, Ticketmaster, and Ticket Liquidator.
- Look for In-Season Stadium Promotions/MLB Season Ticket Packages – Since the season has started, remember to look at your favorite MLB team’s website for any packages they may offer or single-game promotions. These promotions could be a last-minute giveaway night or a theme night that is added to help fans attend the game.
- Look for other Promotions – Look for promotions going on around your community, as some communities may have local schools or churches selling tickets for a group event that, in return, will also allow that organization to receive a kickback from the team as a charity event.
- Alternative baseball game options with cheap baseball ticket options – While attending your favorite MLB team’s game is always a top option for going to a baseball game, alternative baseball game options with cheap baseball tickets, such as local college baseball games, go for less than $20 per person. A second option is attending a Minor League Baseball game featuring MLB teams’ next wave of talent. While minor league stadiums are not present in every major market or state, 120 MLB minor league teams are playing nationwide. Remember that not all local minor league baseball teams will align directly with their closest MLB team. For example, the Rocket City Trash Pandas are the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels but play in Huntsville, Alabama.
Conclusion
Baseball games are scheduled every day from Monday to Sunday, with most of the 30 MLB teams in action six days or nights a week, with one-off day typically falling for each team between Monday and Thursday.
This schedule opens the door for a ton of baseball action, including a loaded MLB schedule on the weekend. Score some cheap baseball tickets and get to a stadium today!
