2025 MLB Wild Card: Where Ticket Prices Are Heating Up

Postseason baseball is back—and after MLB attendance rose for a third straight season, demand is spilling into the Wild Card round. We pulled Average Ticket Price (ATP) snapshots for all potential matchups and games to see where prices are running hottest and where fans can still find value. 

Series by Series 

Cubs vs. Padres leads the board with an average ATP of $238 across the three games. It’s also home to the single-priciest game in our data: Game 2 at $253. Game 1 opens strong at $217, and a “win-or-go-home” Game 3 (if necessary) sits at $244. 

Yankees vs. Red Sox predictably carries a rivalry premium, averaging $210. Prices climb with leverage: Game 1 at $194, Game 2 at $207, and Game 3 (if necessary) topping out at $228. Boston and New York have a rich history of thrilling postseason matchups, so a winner-take-all Game 3 pricing the highest makes a lot of sense. 

Dodgers vs. Reds averages $198, with Game 1 at $179, Game 2 at $182, and a decisive Game 3 pushing to $233—the second-highest Game 3 ATP in the set. The Dodgers have the star power with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and a final run for LA legend Clayton Kershaw, but expectations in LA were much higher than hosting a Wild Card matchup in 2025, which could be the reasoning why this series isn’t pricing out higher.  

Guardians vs. Tigers is the most affordable series, averaging $102 across the three games. Game 1 is about $115, Game 2 dips to $102, and a potential Game 3 is $90—the lowest ATP in the round. It’s another AL divisional matchup, but Cleveland–Detroit doesn’t carry the Yankees–Red Sox history. What it does have is a fresh hook: Cleveland erased a 15.5-game deficit to steal the division—and home-field advantage—from Detroit. 

What the pattern says 

• Leverage lifts price. The closer a series gets to a deciding game, the more fans are willing to pay—this rings true in 75% of the wild card matchups. 

• Brand + venue matter. Rivalries (Yankees–Red Sox) and big-market clubs (Dodgers, Cubs) consistently price at a premium. 

• Markets outweigh storylines. Even with Cleveland’s remarkable comeback to win the division, demand dynamics—a smaller market and less national pull than the marquee brands—keep Guardians–Tigers priced lower. 

This pattern fits what we’ve seen all season: strong demand + bigger moments = higher prices. As the postseason pushes forward, expect leverage, star power, and market size to remain the biggest drivers of what fans pay to be there.