That didn't take long. Last night's capacity crowd of 10,000 at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs game included the one-millionth fan to turn the stiles at Coca-Cola Park.
Local resident Terry Toth was randomly selected from last night'ss capacity crowd of 10,000 at Coca-Cola Park, as one millionth fan to attend a Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) game. Toth was honored on-field during a post-game ceremony and was awarded with a wide array of prizes, including a pair of season tickets to the 2010 IronPigs season.
Since Coca-Cola Park opened in 2008, the IronPigs have drawn 1,009,691 fans. The team has averaged 8,693 per game –- a number that exceeds Coca-Cola Park’s fixed seating capacity of 8,089. Since Coca-Cola Park’s opening, every seat in the ballpark has been sold for 82 of 116 regular-season games with 26 capacity crowds of 10,000.
Through 46 openings at Coca-Cola Park this season, the IronPigs are averaging 8,862 fans per game -– an 11 percent increase over last season’s 46-opening mark of 8,006 fans per game. The increase has the IronPigs on pace to surpass last year’s attendance total of 602,033 fans.
"While I want offer my congratulations to Mr. Toth, all of our fans should be extremely proud of this record-breaking accomplishment," said IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. "The level of excitement and fanfare that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Coca-Cola Park have brought to the region is unmatched. We are very thankful that so many people have chosen Coca-Cola Park for a convenient, affordable and fun sports and entertainment experience."
Bolstered by the success of Coca-Cola Park and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the International League established a single-season attendance record in 2008, breaking the seven-million fan threshold (7,097,411) for the first time in the league’s 125-year history. The most recent Triple-A team to eclipse the IronPigs total attendance in their first season was the Sacramento River Cats in 2000 with 861,808 fans. The River Cats are also the last team in Minor League baseball to surpass the one-million fan plateau in fewer games than the IronPigs –- doing so at the beginning of their second season at Raley Field.
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see articles before they're posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!