If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve likely seen the story unfold. First, you hear the crack of the bat then the ball practically disappears into the sky. The next thing you know, a small kid is being handed a baseball by a proud parent, and the stadium is going nuts as they proudly wave the free souvenir for the world to see on the jumbo-tron.
To misquote a former blockbuster, “The odds will never be in your favor.” Or will they?
Turns out, the best way to get a home run ball is simple statistics and thanks to the ticket resale group SeatGeek the odds are better than ever.
SeatGeek recently mapped every catchable home run ball hit throughout the 2016 season. Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, saw one of the largest spikes in year-to-year home runs. Breaking down the sections with the most home run balls, and the price of tickets SeatGeek has unveiled it’s heat map.
“The concept here is to think about how fun an afternoon at the ballpark can be,” explains Nate Ratner, a content analyst at SeatGeek, “and what’s a better way to cap off that experience than catching a free souvenir home run ball?”
Rather explained that Comerica Park was a top-10 location to find home runs balls in 2016. The hottest spot on their heat map? Section 104 in right field.
“That’s where there were 18 home runs last season, and the average price for a ticket on SeatGeek is $28.”
The third best location is right next-door at section 105 — but a variety of spots show up on the heat map for various prices. The map even show you a dollar value on tickets, versus “heat map status.” You can check it out, here: https://seatgeek.com/home-run/comerica-park
It’s not the only feature that’s bringing folks to SeatGeek. Ratner noted that the biggest feature that gets compliments is the deal-score feature, which allows a ticket buyer to view tickets by both price and value. In other words, you see the value of the ticket compared to location and other possible purchases before you click “buy.” They also offer an interactive map where you can see the view from the section before you decide if the ticket you’re looking at is right for you.
