MLB records seventh best attendance total ever in 2014

Major League Baseball finished the 2014 regular season with an attendance of 73,739,622, marking the seventh highest total of all-time, it was announced today. Competitive balance throughout the game and exciting late-year pennant races have led to the last decade producing all 10 of the best-attended seasons in Major League Baseball history.

The final weekend of the season drew 1,648,624 fans to ballparks across the country, the second highest weekend attendance of the season, and the largest final weekend of a season since 2008, when 1,683,763 fans attended games. Overall, the 2014 season posted 17 weekends with at least 1.5 million in attendance, also marking the largest since 2008, when there were 19 such weekends.

The 2014 total finished just 0.4 percent lower than 2013, despite playing five fewer dates (2,421) than last year (2,426). In addition, the 2014 average attendance of 30,458 per game was just 0.2 percent lower than the 2013 average of 30,515.

Among the highlights of the season:

• Twelve Clubs surpassed the 2.5-million mark, including five that topped the three-million mark.

• The five to reach three million have all now reached three million in consecutive seasons, including the New York Yankees (16 straight); the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12 straight); the St. Louis Cardinals (11 straight); the San Francisco Giants (five straight); and the the Los Angeles Dodgers (three straight).

• The Pittsburgh Pirates established a single-season attendance record of 2,442,564 in 2014, breaking the previous mark of 2,436,139 set during the first season at PNC Park in 2001. The Pirates also posted 23 sellouts during the season, tying the club record set in 2013.

• The Washington Nationals drew 2,579,389 on the season, topping the 2.5-million mark for the second consecutive season and for only the third time in club history (also their debut season in 2005). The Nationals recorded eight sellouts, tied with 2012 for the most in a single season.

• The San Francisco Giants, who sold out every game this season, ended the 2014 season with 327 consecutive sell-outs, dating back to October 1, 2010, for the longest active streak in the Majors.

• The St. Louis Cardinals attracted 3,540,649 fans in 2014, the second largest attendance in the Majors this season, and the second highest attendance in franchise history behind 2007 (3,552,180). Led by 52 sellouts and an average of 43,712 per game, the 2014 season was the second time in franchise history with 40,000 or more fans at every game (also 2007).

• The Detroit Tigers, who recorded 27 sellouts during the 2014 season, posted the fifth largest total attendance (2,917,209) in the 114-year history of the franchise.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers led the Majors for the second consecutive season with 3,782,337. The Dodgers surpassed the 3.7-million mark for the sixth time in club history, and it was their second highest total overall, behind 2007 (3,857,036).

• The New York Yankees led the American League with 3,401,624, marking the 12^th straight season they have drawn the most among AL Clubs.

• The Baltimore Orioles drew reached the 2.4-million mark for the first time since the 2005 season.

• The Kansas City Royals posted their highest attendance (1,956,482) since 1991.

• The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim logged nine sellouts in 2014, and their attendance of 44,561 on August 7^th against the Los Angeles Dodgers established the largest regular season crowd at Angel Stadium since 1998.

• The Milwaukee Brewers attendance of 2,797,384 was an increase of 10.5 percent from 2013, marking the largest increase in the NL and the fourth largest in the Majors.

• The Seattle Mariners drew 2,063,622, eclipsing the two-million mark for the first time since 2010. The club's attendance represented a Major League-best 17 percent increase over 2013.

• The Oakland Athletics had an attendance of 2,003,628 in 2014, surpassing the two-million mark for the first time since 2005 (2,109,118).

• The New York Mets attracted 2,148,808 fans in 2014, marking the club's first increase over the previous season in Citi Field history (since 2009).

• The Houston Astros drew 1,751,829 fans in 2014, representing an attendance increase for the second consecutive season.

"During the last week, all of us who love the game witnessed a wonderful culmination to the 2014 regular season with thrilling Postseason races down to the final day, an emotional farewell to an icon of this generation and a milestone in our nation's capital," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Once again, I'd like to thank our great fans for their continued enthusiasm and support over the last decade and beyond. I join our fans in looking forward to another magnificent Postseason and all the best of our National Pastime."