Two years ago, future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was making his final appearances at MLB stadiums across the nation. Fans far and wide were lining up at the gates of each American League ballpark and a handful of National League stadiums to see the career-long Yankee shortstop play in that particular city one final time. Fast forward two years later, and beloved Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is making his very own farewell trip across Major League Baseball.
With two famed MLB players making their final rounds across baseball only a couple of years apart, we decided to compare ticket prices for Ortiz and Jeter’s final game in each city that they both visited. While the season is almost halfway over, Ortiz has only played his final game at four American League stadiums, and two National League stadiums, neither of which Derek Jeter and the Yankees visited during the 2014 season. With that, let’s take a look at ticket prices for each players final game at the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park, the Minnesota Twins’ Target Field, the Chicago White Sox’s US Cellular Field, as well as the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park, where Ortiz’s will suit up for the final time this Sunday.
At all but one stadium, ticket prices were more expensive to see Derek Jeter and the Yankees play in 2014. This shouldn’t come to much as a surprise, as Derek Jeter, who carried a career .310 batting average was an all-star caliber player both offensively and defensively for the majority of his career, while Ortiz has primarily served as a DH. Ortiz is also haunted by a failed drug test in 2003, though he denies he ever knowingly took steroids. Even though some believe the failed drug test puts a stain on his career, his on the field performance and his big personality off the field make him a fan favorite across baseball.
The largest difference in price between the two player’s final games at a visitor’s ballpark occurred at Minute Maid Park. Fans paid $53 on average to see Ortiz’s final game at the stadium on April 24 of this year, but they paid $101 on average for a ticket to see Derek Jeter play there on April 3, 2014.
On the other end of the spectrum, fans paid $83 on average to see Ortiz play his final game at Target Field on June 12, but paid $67 on average to see Derek Jeter play there with the Yankees on July 6, 2014. The game on that day was Derek Jeter’s final game with the Yankees at Target Field, but he played there once again during the All-Star Game a little over a week later, which may have had an effect on ticket prices.
Including the Red Sox’s game at the Texas Rangers on Sunday, David Ortiz still has 12 stadiums to visit this season as he continues to make his farewell tour across the majors. Browse through a wide selection of tickets to those games by clicking here.
