Record-high resale prices for tickets for World Series

The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, starting Saturday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, is a showdown between the top teams in MLB. This season, the Dodgers had the most wins (98) in the National League (NL), while the Yankees led the American League (AL) with 94 wins. This marks only the fourth time since the Wild Card system was first introduced in 1995 that the teams with the most wins from each league have met in the World Series. It’s also the first World Series matchup between these two teams in 41 years.

Notably, this year’s World Series has gained even more attention as it features a duel between NL home run leader Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (56 home runs) and AL home run leader Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (58 home runs). This is the first time since the 1956 World Series between Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers that both teams’ lineups include hitters with 50+ home runs.

Both Ohtani and Judge, who are widely considered frontrunners for each league’s MVP this season, are making their first World Series appearances. For one, Judge debuted in the majors in 2016, won AL Rookie of the Year in 2017, and set a new AL home run record (62 home runs) in 2022, which earned him the AL MVP. In his second year as team captain, Judge has led the Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years.

Given the hype, ticket prices have soared. CNN reported on Thursday that, according to ticket resale site TickPick, this season’s World Series tickets have reached an average resale price of $1,703 (approximately 2.36 million won). The previous record for average resale prices was set during the 2016 World Series, when the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians for their first championship in 108 years, with tickets averaging $1,691.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com