Wrigleyville's playoff boom: Big crowds, big bills for Cubs fans
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The view from Justin's seat last Thursday. He paid $77. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
The Cubs had a rough start to the National League Division Series, losing the first two games of the best-of-five series in Milwaukee.
The latest: The series turns to Chicago on Wednesday, where the Cubs hope some home cooking can keep them from being eliminated.
The big picture: For fans, last week's wild-card round was must-watch baseball, not just on television but inside Wrigley Field. Over 120,000 fans flooded the historic stadium, giving a much-needed economic boost to the surrounding Wrigleyville neighborhood.
Yes, but: While Wednesday night's game should provide the same boost, be mindful that playoff games just cost … more.
State of play: The price of tickets for Wednesday's game is already hovering around $250 on Ticketmaster for verified resale, with some seats reaching $1,000 in the box sections behind the dugouts.
Zoom in: Parking, which is a premium in the surrounding neighborhood, is also much more expensive come playoff time. If you want to snag one of the coveted neighborhood garage spots, they went for $80–$120 during the last series.
- And don't forget about Wrigley Field itself. Beer and alcohol prices are pricier in the playoffs. This also happened during the Cubs' World Series run in 2016.
The bottom line: Chicago Cubs fans are expecting to shell out top dollar to see this playoff game.