Mike Kerwick of The Record, says it’s probably a good thing for the Mets that the Subway Series has been shortened from six games to four this season because it “brings glare” to how bad they are.
This season has become a dark hour for Mets fans – darker, if possible, than any of the past four sub-.500 seasons. There’s Matt Harvey, an every-five-days beacon of hope. And there’s Zack Wheeler, an electric arm scheduled to arrive before July. And that’s about it.
Ike Davis has been one of the worst hitters in baseball over these first eight weeks. Shaun Marcum is 0-5 with a 6.59 ERA. Francisco, the man who added spice to last year’s series, has not thrown a pitch for the Mets since last September.
Their manager looks tired. Their players are frustrated. Their cupboard is bare.
This series brings glare. It courts focus. Even if it’s just two fewer games, that means two fewer times Terry Collins and his players have to offer answers on the big stage.
Trimming this rivalry hurts fans, Kerwick writes, but helps the Mets, who are 12 games under .500 following two losses on Saturday. They would welcome an escape from the glare. They would love to see the microscope pick on someone else.
Meanwhile, ticket prices are significantly down for the Subway Series and still available in the thousands. Remember when these tickets were sold out in a day?
Here are some factoids regarding ticket sales for this once sold out event:
- With a combined average price of $116, this is the cheapest Subway Series over the last four years.
- This year’s combined average price is down 6% from 2012, 3% from 2011, and 41% from 2010.
- This years most expensive Subway Series game is Game 2 at Citi Field with an average of $140.
- This years least expensive Subway Series game is the final game at Yankee Stadium with an average of $109
- The cheapest secondary-market ticket the series is $28 with fees for the final game at Yankees stadium.
- The least expensive ticket in Flushing is $29 for the opener on Monday.
- The most expensive Subway Series game over the last four years had an average price of $255 on 7/2/11 at Citi Field
- The Least expensive Subway Series game over the last four years had an average price of $99 on 5/22/11 at Yankee Stadium
- The premium over the regular season average for Mets tickets for this year’s series is +67% compared to a +140% premium last season.
- The premium over regular season average for Yankees tickets for this year’s series is +9%, compared to a +20% premium last season.
