Against all odds, the 87-win Phillies (under an interim manager, no less) are headed back to the World Series, conquering the Cardinals, Braves and Padres en route to their first NL pennant in 13 years. To say fans are excited would be an understatement, with Broad Street devolving into anarchy after Sunday’s series-clincher in South Philly, a game that produced the defining moment of Bryce Harper’s career, achieving immortal status with what Fox announcer Joe Davis described as “the swing of his life.”
If you even half-paid attention during undergrad economics classes, you probably escaped with, at worst, a cursory knowledge of supply and demand, a phenomenon that’s playing out right in front of us with secondary markets charging an arm and a leg (and maybe a kidney if you’re purchasing through Ticketmaster and other retailers known for their exorbitant processing fees) for tickets to World Series Games 3-5 at Citizens Bank Park. It’s only common sense the World Series would command a higher price than say, a Wednesday night game against the Marlins in mid-April. But with nosebleed and SRO (standing room only) tickets both fetching upwards of $1,000, regular fans—not obscenely rich celebrities like Miles Teller and Jason Kelce who can afford to splurge on seats behind home plate—find themselves between a rock and a hard place. That’s forced some to consider drastic measures including one ambitious plan laid out by Ximena Conde of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who posited that if you’re willing to take a budget flight and stay in a no-frills hotel outside the city, it’s actually cheaper to see the Phillies play in Houston than in Philadelphia, even after factoring in travel costs.
By Conde’s math, it’s possible to book a flight, hotel and tickets to Friday night’s series opener at Minute Maid Park for as little as $774. That rough estimate doesn’t include money set aside for meals or transportation in and out of the stadium, but it’s still an interesting alternative, granted your Phillies fandom is rabid enough that flying halfway across the country for a baseball game (one that Vegas handicappers would suggest the heavily-favored Astros are likely to win) wouldn’t be seen as a massive inconvenience.
The Phillies have reserved a select number of face-value tickets for games October 31st, November 1st and November 2nd (if necessary) with winners determined through a lottery system. The deadline for applications is Tuesday (tonight) at 11:59 PM ET, so you better hurry.
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