PHILADELPHIA (94WIP) -- Ticket sales are booming for the Philadelphia Phillies thanks to the signing of Bryce Harper.
The Phillies sold 100,000 tickets in less than 24 hours after Harper's record 13-year, $330 million contract was first reported, according to senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber.
"I'm happy, I'm very, very happy," Weber told the 94WIP Morning Show from Clearwater, Fla., on Friday.
According to Weber, 100,000 tickets sold in day is a record since he began working for the team in 1987. He said there was an uptick in sales in the right-field area, specifically. "It was an exciting day, we stayed opened until 6:30," Weber said.
Now, with a stacked lineup and a slew of young All-Star-caliber players, the pressure turns to Phillies manager Gabe Kapler to take this team to the promised land. The Phillies World Series' odds have already moved to around 10-1 (or lower) on most sports books.
"I embrace the pressure," Kapler told the 94WIP Morning Show on Friday.
"Look, what we always want is to be judged by wins and losses on the field," Kapler continued. "We know that now the expectations of Philadelphia Phillies, the city of Philadelphia, are especially high. That's what we've always wanted. We want a high, challenging bar and we want the expectations that we're going to step up and meet that bar. We have the players with that kind of mentality. We have the staff and the front office and the ownership group with that kind of mentality, so we would want it no other way. And we've kind of been really thinking about this moment for quite some time. That the pressure would be on, that the bar would be high, and that we would be prepared to step up and meet that bar."