The Los Angeles Dodgers faced the San Diego Padres in the postseason last year for just the second time in franchise history, and there was a bit of controversy as Petco Park ticket sales were limited to select counties.
Dodgers fans have routinely traveled well when the team plays in San Diego, and the Padres were attempting to take back home field advantage by blocking Los Angeles county residents from purchasing tickets.
The strategy was successful as Petco Park was predominantly filled with Padres fans for Games 3 and 4 of the 2022 National League Division Series.
Padres chief executive officer Erik Greupner was happy with the results but doesn’t intend to implement a similar ban on ticket sales for 2023 regular season games, per Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
Greupner said the Padres had no plans to block ticket buyers from Los Angeles during the regular season.
However, if the Dodgers and Padres meet in the playoffs this year, Greupner is undecided on whether he would limit Petco Park ticket sales to select counties again:
He said the Padres had not decided whether to block ticket buyers from Los Angeles if the Dodgers and Padres meet again this October. Greupner did express his delight in how the blocking worked last October. “Very successful,” he said. “Felt like 98% Padres fans, which made us happy.”
Sports teams limiting ticket sales to certain counties isn’t uncommon as the Los Angeles Rams did this for their NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers in 2022.
The Rams ultimately wound up rescinding the ticket policy and defeating the 49ers en route to capturing the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
If the Padres bring back this policy, Dodgers fans would still be able to attend games by purchasing tickets on secondary market sites.
ZiPS projects Dodgers and Padres to finish with same record in 2023
The start of Spring Training ZiPS projections for the 2023 season predicts the Dodgers will finish tied atop the NL West with the Padres at a 91-71 record for both clubs.
The analytical model takes into account player projections and playing time, then generates a million versions of each team based on each player’s range of probable outcomes. The system was designed by Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs and is updated every year in an attempt to create more accurate outcomes.
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