Rainy forecast costing ticket brokers millions for Derek Jeter’s last home game
The New York Yankees are out of playoff contention, but we all know why their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night is the most expensive regular season ticket in MLB history. Derek Jeter will be playing in his final home game at Yankee Stadium. That is, if Mother Nature allows it.
With a forecast that calls for a 100% chance of precipitation by game time, there is a growing fear that the game could be rained out. Considering the Orioles have wrapped up the AL East and the Yankees are mathematically eliminated from the postseason, there would be no reason to make the game up. Fans don’t want to see that happen. Neither do secondary ticket brokers, who stand to lose as much as $12.5 million if the game is called.
“It would be a disaster for brokers if this game is rained out and never made up,” Connor Gregoire of SeatGeek.com told the NY Daily News. “Brokers will lose all the profits they would have otherwise made on this, the most expensive regular season ticket in MLB history.”
Gregoire estimates that around 30,000 tickets have been resold for Thursday night’s game since Jeter announced back in February that 2014 would be his final season. If the game is rescheduled, anyone who bought a ticket to Thursday’s game would have to attend the makeup or lose their money. If it is cancelled, brokers must refund all sales. And if you bought tickets on Craigslist or through some sort of non-licensed broker, you simply need to do the opposite of a rain dance.
“If folks purchased their tickets privately or on Craigslist, they’re stuck trying to track down their seller with no guarantee of a seller and no official recourse,” Gregoire pointed out.
Even if the game is played, the nasty forecast has still cost sellers. Demand has decreased over the past few days. The average price of a ticket has dropped nearly $100 since Tuesday, and there are still plenty available.
The Yankees will do everything they can to get the field ready. Hopefully the weather cooperates at least through Jeter’s first at-bat.
