In nearly 30 years of having Tribe fever, Brian Bostaph of Akron has felt the range of emotions that come with being an Indians fan.
He’s seen the victories and defeats, especially those that came with last year’s taste of an American League championship before losing the final game of the World Series to the Chicago Cubs.
That taste only fueled the fever for fans like Bostaph, though. This year, for the first time ever, he’s among many who invested in season tickets.
“I’m about as jazzed as I’ve been about an Indians season in a long time, that’s for sure,” Bostaph said. “This year, my excitement level is definitely a lot higher.”
The momentum from last season has translated into increased ticket sales all around for the Tribe. Curtis Danburg, the senior director of communications for the Indians, said the team is “five months ahead of schedule” in terms of sales — thanks to last season.
The team has already sold 1.2 million individual tickets this year, which is 56 percent more than this time last year. And that’s just 400,000 shy of the 1.6 million the Indians sold in total last season.
“We didn’t hit that mark until July 4 last year,” Danburg said. “It’s a pretty good head start.”
The Indians have also experienced a 43 percent upswing in group ticket sales, as well as a 38 percent increase in suite rentals.
The main driver of sales, though, is season tickets. The Indians already have the equivalent of 12,300 full-season ticket holders this year, up from the 7,000 they had at the end of last year at Progressive Field.
A large driver of that is fans who buy partial packages or split the cost with friends, like Michael Carlson of Stow.
“After the World Series run, a couple of my friends asked if I wanted to kind of split a package, so we ended up buying three 20-game sets,” said Carlson, a first-time season ticket holder. “I wouldn’t be able to afford two seats, so going into a partnership made sense. Also, I never realized how affordable packages can be.”
As of Friday, prices for full-season ticket plans, which include every game on the 2017 schedule, ranged from $1,461 for upper box seats to more than $7,000 for club infield seats. Half- and quarter-season plans are also available, starting at $333.
Prices increase after Tuesday and will continue doing so as the season goes on.
Danburg encourages fans to buy tickets as far ahead of time as possible, since he anticipates highly sought-after games, like those on summer weekends, will sell out faster than normal.
“Fans will have to change buying habits from the past couple years,” Danburg said. “Which is a good problem to have.”
Given last year’s season, many new season ticket holders hope to see the Tribe finish what it started and emerge with a World Series trophy this time around.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting my hopes up. As an Indians fan, there’s many of us who know what it feels like to invest emotionally in a team that you feel is a champion, only for that team to lose 90 games,” Carlson said. “With that being said, I would really like to see them in the championship again.”
On top of high hopes for the team, Bostaph also said he wants to “make sure fans are supporting the team” and the organization as a whole.
“I really think the organization in general is on the right track,” Bostaph said.
For longtime season ticket holders like Mark Zumerling, though, a championship would just top off an already enjoyable experience.
“I’m a Cleveland fan throughout, regardless of the performance,” said Zumerling, the president of Cuyahoga Falls-based Cortape Inc., which provides season tickets to its employees. “Really, the Indians are such a great value and have a great venue. It’s so much fun to go to the ballpark.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .