Diamondbacks Eye Franchise Attendance Record Set 25 Years Ago as World Series Comes to Arizona

The New York Yankees are baseball’s one of the most favorite teams. Why should not it be? It has won the highest World Series titles and produced the greatest all-time players whose records are difficult to surpass. A novice in baseball would at least know the Yankees if not anything else about the game. And a lesser known, record-less team of 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks (just three years old in MLB that year)  had defeated them in a world series. But the D-backs could not sustain the same momentum of play thereafter.

In  2023, they are meeting again, for the same title. Not this time against the heavyweights. But the underdogs (the Texas Rangers) like the D-backs themselves. Unlike in 2001, the newness of the team, taking against the big baseball team, was what drew people to watch the game in the ballpark. This year, one dark horse is head on head on head against the other. Would 2023 beat 2001 in the number of fans coming to watch the game?

How many had come to see D-backs in the 2001 World Series?

That day of the history was a historic day for the baseball and D-backs alike. Its brilliant pitcher Randy Johnson closed the game in the seventh innings and defeated the Yankees  3-2. Every fan of baseball was enjoying the moment. D-backs had bounced back from the toughest losses.

33,783 fans had come to Ball One Park that day to witness the most important game for the D-backs and the Yankees. In the total of the World Series, 2,736,451 had come in total attendance. These are the highest numbers against today’s average of in-person attendance at the ballpark.  Even today, there still remains a difference between the people who attend the game and those who book the tickets.

Is it 2001 vs 2023?

It has been a question for baseball managers to see how to pick the numbers of fans in the baseball game. Although they have taken some measures, including online ticketing, and hi-tech operations, the numbers could not be the record. They were encouraging, but the miles stone is yet to touch. This September, 70 million people were back for the first time since 2017.

READ MORE: How Many Games Are Played in the World Series?

What will be the numbers this year? 2023 is also a comeback game for the D-backs. 1,961,182 have been the total attendance so far, with an average of 24,212 this year. Would 2023 break the 2001 record? Number of fans walking through turnstiles has dropped since then. The highest recorded was 32,785 in 2007, less than the 2001. There is a difference between how many turn by and how many book the tickets. This year is already huge. There are still five games to go.

The third and fourth games will set the tone. The already high-octane contest between the two dark horses is definitely becoming a thriller. But will it beat the numbers?

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