Average Get-in-the-Door Price for NLCS Games Isn’t Too Awful

With the only half of the NLCS field that matters already determined, it’s time to start talking turkey in terms of tickets. It goes without saying that they’re not going to be cheap, but it’s not nearly as expensive as you might think. Unless, that is, you think you’re getting in the door for less than $400. There are plenty of secondary marketplaces out there and I’m sure some of you have your favorites and/or like to shop around, which is why I wanted to look at a few options.

SeatGeek and StubHub are two of the heavy hitters out there, though I’m personally fond of Ticket Lodge, which advertises on this site and offers a discount to Cubs Insider readers (enter CUBSINSIDER at checkout). I perused the prices for all four potential NLCS games at Wrigley to see how the different vendors stacked up, and you can see the results of my brief research below. Keep in mind that these are just the basement-level prices for the games and that much better/more expensive seats are plentiful.

I should offer the caveat that it’s entirely possible that I missed a lower price here or there, particularly when you consider that the fees can vary greatly even for the same game and the sorting algorithms for each site aren’t always set to show the lowest price first. That said, I’m definitely close enough to at least give you a good idea of what you can expect to shell out.

Whether it was my search parameters or the intent of the sites, a few little quirks jumped out at me here. SeatGeek seemed to be putting the bleachers front and center, while StubHub displayed SRO. I’m assuming that’s due to desirability and low price, respectively. The fees are going to take a big, wet bite out of your rear end no matter who you use, though StubHub seemed to be the most reasonable in that regard.

When figuring an overall average of the prices for all four games, StubHub came in the lowest at just under $494. Ticket Lodge was next at $555, with SeatGeek well behind at over $636. It’s important to consider, however, that StubHub’s prices are all based on SRO seating. That means the cost for actually have a numbered piece of molded plastic into which to slide your keister is probably a fair bit higher.

Those prices also fail to reflect the aforementioned discount for Cubs Insider friends, which would cut an average of $23.25 from your per-ticket total. I’m not sure whether or how prices will change based on the determination of the Cubs’ opponent Thursday night, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Also of note, the lottery for single-game NLCS tickets has taken place and those seats will be available for purchase Thursday at noon CT. That should both increase supply and decrease demand, perhaps lowering the prices above.

I was not one of the lucky few selected, so now I’m just hoping a ticket oak springs up in my backyard in the next couple of days.