An Associated Press reporter did a headcount of the fans attending Wednesday’s afternoon matchup between the Phillies and Marlins in Miami.
One thousand five hundred and ninety. Yes, 1,590.
Per MLB policy, since 1993, announced attendance represents tickets sold, not the number of people in the stadium. The official recorded attendance Wednesday -- i.e., tickets sold -- was 15,197.
The Washington Post notes that Wednesday's game at Marlins Park was the least-attended major league game since a Sept. 5, 1989, affair between the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Just 1,528 fans showed up that day. The previous low that season was 2,047 on May 4 against Philadelphia.
Not a lot of fans went to Braves games back then.
These are the lowest attended games (turnstile numbers) in Braves history, according to the AJC in 1989:
• Sept. 8, 1975: 737
• Sept. 6, 1977: 877
• Sept. 14, 1976: 970
• Sept. 24, 1974: 1,045
• Sept. 4, 1975: 1,062
Today the Braves rank 12th in major league attendance with an average of 30,109 tickets sold per game at the new SunTrust Park. The Marlins rank 28th with an average of 20,748 fans per game at Marlins Park, the retractable roof stadium which opened in 2012.
