While the Washington Nationals are allowed to have up to 5,000 fans at home games this season, the chances of getting your hands on affordable tickets might be challenging.
Major League Baseball is prioritizing existing season ticket holders who will have the first chance at claiming seats, followed by those who have unused credits from the 2020 season.
Only then will the league dispense single-game tickets for sale for the general public.
That’s if they’re available in your city.
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If you head to the Nationals’ website to purchase tickets, you’ll find a message explaining how the team will prioritize bringing season ticket holders back to the ballpark. The message says the Nats are still offering season ticket plans. Fans can contact a representative to discuss options.
But the “Tickets To A Single Game” area, where the public can typically hop on and make general purchases is unavailable to use and simply reads, “Stay tuned.”
When you take a look at some of the prices already up on secondary ticket markets, you’ll find extremely expensive offers in most cases.
As of Wednesday, places like StubHub for example, had Opening Night tickets against the New York Mets starting at around $150 a piece.
The most costly was up to a jaw-dropping $1,995 a ticket.
If you look ahead to other games this season, there are some more reasonable deals, but they’re few and far between. It also depends partly on the team coming to town.
One of the best offers was at Vivid Seats for the April 6 home game with the Atlanta Braves. Prices, as of Wednesday, were starting at just under $40 per seat.
StubHub prices for the Nats hosting the Marlins on April 30 were as low as $60 a piece.
But even at those prices, tickets could still be out of reach for, say a family of four wanting to take their kids to the ballpark without breaking the bank.
And it doesn’t get much better from there.
Tickets for the June 14-16 home stand with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Vivid Seats ranged from almost $300 per seat up to almost $700.
TickPick’s prices for the May 11-13 home stand with the Phillies start at $350 a seat to as high as almost $900.
Depending on how the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination efforts proceed in the U.S., it’s possible the capacity limits could be increased as the season progresses, which would likely drive down prices with more available tickets.
Currently, the phrase, “Take me out to the ballgame,” will likely translate into, “Take me to a television set” for most fans.