The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays played Game 1 of their AL Wild Card series on Tuesday afternoon, but not many people were there to see it in person. Just 19,704 fans were in attendance at Tropicana Field, a historic low for a postseason game.
Those 19,704 attendees represent 79% of Tropicana Field's capacity, and it has been over 100 years since the MLB has seen lower attendance at a playoff game. According to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic, it was the lowest attendance number since Game 7 of the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds.
Here's some perspective on today's attendance of 19,704 at the Trop: according to @Stathead, it's the lowest (non-Covid year) attendance for a postseason game in 104 years. Last one below 19,704 was Game 7 of the infamous 1919 World Series in Cincinnati.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 3, 2023
The Rays have been the target of low attendance for years now, and their average attendance was 17,781 in the 2023 regular season. That ranked 27th, and only the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics were lower.
In the game itself, Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery silenced Tampa Bay's bats. He went seven scoreless innings and allowed just six hits as Texas won the game, 4-0.
The Rays are on the brink of elimination with Game 2 set to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday afternoon. Nathan Eovaldi is set to take the mound for the Rangers, and Zach Eflin will do the same for the hometown Rays.
