After the Yankees lost 2-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, the Fall Classic moves to New York for Game 3 on Monday night. The series, which hosted Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, launched last week with high ticket prices and was predicted to break a StubHub record for the event, but prices have fallen slightly since then.

Since Friday, the average price of Game 3 tickets sold on StubHub's resale market has dropped about 10 percent, with the cheapest individual tickets starting at about $700 as of Monday afternoon. A StubHub spokesman, Adam Budelli, said the decline was not surprising given how the series performed between two star-studded markets, as prices tend to fluctuate depending on the outcome of the game.

“As expected, sometimes you will see a slight softening of the market when a team takes a 2-0 lead,” Budelli said Monday before Game 3.

He noted that while the starting price is slightly lower than last week, average prices for the series are back around $1,700, consistent with the average prices StubHub saw last week. Over the weekend, sales of Games 3 through 5 in New York increased 30 percent, according to StubHub. Budelli said that's likely because demand has increased and there are fewer tickets available. Dodgers fans, for example, might start looking at Game 4 or Game 5 as a potential must-attend crucial point.

Additionally, demand for higher-priced seats remains strong despite a slight decline in general admission ticket prices, according to Budelli.

“Of course a lot will determine how the game goes tonight,” said Budelli. “If the Yankees win, there will probably be some Game 6 tickets sold, so there will be a big increase there. Once we're on the show it's always difficult to really say how things are going, but I think the truth is we're seeing super strong demand.”

The average price of World Series tickets sold on StubHub was $1,457 for Game 1 and $1,503 for Game 2. As of 10 a.m. ET Monday, the remaining games were as follows, according to StubHub.

• Game 3: $1,777
• Game 4: $1,798
• Game 5: $1,920
• Game 6: $1,840
• Game 7: $1,820

Budelli also highlighted the increase in average prices compared to previous years, saying the series may be the most expensive in recent history. The average ticket price on StubHub for last year's series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks was $884. In 2022, the average price for the World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies was $1,303.

“This, in turn, is really driven by two large fan bases, and as the series progresses, that number seems to continue to grow, which is kind of what we expected,” Budelli said.

As of Monday evening, the cheapest individual tickets for Games 4 and 5 were listed on StubHub in the $650 to $750 price range. On TickPick, another ticket marketplace, the cheapest individual tickets for these games were listed in the $1,000 to $1,100 range. TickPick did not immediately disclose its average prices for the series.

StubHub offers refunds for quota games if they are not played. Therefore, Budelli recommended that fans purchase tickets in advance as prices will likely increase, especially if the Yankees win on Monday. And if there is a Game 7, there could be cause for more headlines, according to Budelli.

“Based on what we're seeing price-wise, it's certainly going to be one of the most expensive games in baseball,” he said. “We would probably have to predict that.”

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(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The athlete)