Dodgers Dugout: Want to go to a game? Visit a financial planner

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I’m hoping to win the lottery so I can use it as a down payment for Dodgers tickets. OK, maybe it’s not quite that bad, but still…

In this newsletter, we are going to turn our attention away from the players for a bit in order to look at something I get emails about weekly: Some fans, many of them longtime fans, can’t afford to go to a Dodger game anymore.

Colleague Bill Shaikin recently did a story on the high cost of going to a Dodger game.

Let’s take a look at some highlights, or lowlights if you prefer.

A study was recently released that detailed how much it would cost a family of four to go to a baseball game if they got the four cheapest tickets, parking, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs. The results:

1. Dodgers, $399.68
2. Tampa Bay, $330.27
3. Chicago Cubs, $306.38
4. Boston, $303.75
5. NY Mets, $263.21
6. Philadelphia, $255.70
7. San Diego, $250.96
8. Atlanta, $245
9. Arizona, $231.20
10. Athletics, $215.89
11. Pittsburgh, $209.03
MLB average, $208
12. Minnesota, $205.32
13. NY Yankees, $205.48
14. Texas, $204.68
15. Seattle, $193.46
16. San Francisco, $191.38
17. Detroit, $187.21
18. Houston, $178.96
19. Washington, $174.16
20. Baltimore, $172.41
21. Cleveland, $172.37
22. Milwaukee, $165.64
23. Kansas City, $165.54
24. Angels, $161.26
25. Toronto, $149.67
26. St. Louis, $149.27
27. Miami, $145.47
28. Chicago White Sox, $145.24
29. Colorado, $135.66
30. Cincinnati, $124.51

As a lark, I looked at the cheapest roundtrip airfare to Cincinnati and found seats for $149. A decent hotel near the ballpark in Cincinnati could be found for $82. So, I could fly my family to Cincinnati, buy tickets to see the Dodgers-Reds there, stay overnight at a hotel, and fly home the next day for a cheaper price than seeing the same two teams play at Dodger Stadium.

And what does baseball commissioner Rob Manfred have to say about the high price of Dodger games?

“One of the leaders in terms of thinking about affordability has been the other Los Angeles team,” Manfred told Shaikin.

Excuse me now? If I’m a Dodgers fan, I should go to an Angels game?

Let’s face it. The Dodgers aren’t hurting for attendance. Despite the high prices, they draw more fans than any other team in baseball. There’s no incentive to lower prices when they are selling so many tickets and items at the current prices. And the Dodgers do give tickets away. The Dodgers’ foundation said it distributed 64,000 tickets last year through the Commissioner’s Community Initiative. Which, considering they sold a lofty 3,941,251 tickets last season, accounts for an overwhelming 1.6% of tickets. Please stop with all the generosity.

None of this helps, as an example, the single parent with two kids who love the Dodgers, who would love to take their kids to a game, but it costs just too much on a limited budget. I mean, the Dodgers could have a family night out in the bleachers. Make tickets $30 for an adult, $10 for kids, and all adults must have kids with them. Plus every parent gets a coupon for two free Dodger Dogs and two free sodas, plus 15% off any souvenir.

Do this once a month. They could do it during a midweek game. The little kids don’t care too much about the opponent, they just want to see the Dodgers. And their parent looks like a hero. You have locked in at least three people as Dodgers fans for life. Sure, it won’t be easy. You’d have to verify a lot of info, such as “Are you a parent with small kids (say, under 12)? And yes, some people would scam the system. But don’t let that stop you from doing the right thing.

Or, we could listen to Manfred.

“You can’t have it all ways, right?” Manfred said. “The Dodgers have made a massive financial commitment in terms of players, and they have to run a business that supports that massive financial commitment.”

He also said, “If you want to sit next to Mary Hart, it’s expensive,” Manfred said. “I think it’s really important to think about that from an access perspective.”

Rob Manfred sure has his finger on the pulse of the average baseball fan. Unfortunately, it’s his middle finger.

My grandkids want to go to Dodgers game. But none of those free ticket offers seemed to make their way to San Dimas, so taking the seven people we would need to take to a Dodgers game to make it a family event is cost prohibitive.

Instead, we are going to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. It’s $21 per ticket to sit five rows behind home plate and see some of the stars of the future. Hot dogs, beer, soda, you name it, is much cheaper. Games between innings. Two mascots roaming the stands. I highly recommend it. And they are a Dodger affiliate (at least for this season — next year they become an Angels affiliate), so you can see some of the future Dodger stars.

Whoops!

Because I’m stupid, while comparing the Dodgers, Giants and Padres last week, I wrote that Jung Hoo Lee of the Giants came from Japan last season. He, of course, came from South Korea. It was a case of the brain thinking one thing and the hands typing something else. My apologies to Jung Hoo Lee.

In a pinch

In the last newsletter, I listed the all-time pinch-hit leaders. This time, by request from multiple people, the list of the Dodgers with the most pinch hits:

1. Dave Hansen, 110
2. Manny Mota, 106
3. Chris Gwynn, 52
4. Olmedo Sáenz, 49
5. Duke Snider, 46
6. Mitch Webster, 44
7. Andre Ethier, 40
8. Mike Sharperson, 39
9. Mickey Hatcher, 38
9. Kiké Hernández, 38

New Dodger: Charley horse

Tyler Glasnow had to leave Sunday’s game early because of cramps in his right leg. It shouldn’t be anything to worry about, Glasnow has dealt with cramps throughout his career, and no one seems to know why they happen.

“I don’t know. I’m not quite sure,” he said. “I’ve done all the hydration stuff. I do all the supplements. I’m not sure. I think we’ll try and figure some stuff out soon. And just hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”

Congratulations

Shohei Ohtani missed the first two games of the Rangers series because he was on paternity leave. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a girl.

Dave Roberts’ reaction: “He loves his sleep. So it’ll be interesting to see how the sleep wins out, or it doesn’t win out, when you have a baby.”

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 1-1, 1.06 ERA) at Chicago Cubs (*Shota Imanaga, 2-1, 2.22 ERA), 4:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (TBD) at Chicago Cubs (*Matthew Boyd, 1-2, 2.01 ERA), 4 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shohei Ohtani’s wife gives birth to a girl, the couple’s first child

Anticipating birth of first child, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani goes on paternity leave

Dodgers coach Chris Woodward is ‘proud’ of Rangers managerial stint, despite 2022 firing

Championship blues: Dodgers games used to be affordable family entertainment. No more.

The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why?

And finally

Manny Mota has a key pinch-double as the Dodgers rally to win Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS. Watch and listen here.