We have a couple of attendance records to report from the past week, this time from the South Bend Cubs (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the Tennessee Smokies (Class AA; Southern League).
A week ago the SB Cubs set yet another franchise record for single-game attendance, drawing 8,004 to Four Winds Field.
“Tonight is another exciting night and another great evening in South Bend Cubs history,” South Bend Cubs team president Joe Hart said. “While it’s only been a short couple months as a Cubs affiliate, it’s extremely exciting to see the community just continue to come out and support the local organization. And to draw over 8,000 people, which is an all-time record, is pretty humbling and something that we’re very excited about for the community.”
South Bend initially set a single-game record April 18, when 7,575 fans were on hand at Four Winds Field. Previously, the single-game record was 7,287, a mark set in July 2013.
The Opening Night attendance of 7,086 marked a franchise record for a season opener.
In 2014, South Bend set a new single-season total attendance record (258,836).
“This is unprecedented, but not unexpected. We were confident going in that we understood what our fans wanted—a Chicago Cubs affiliate with all the bells and whistles of a major league ballpark,” Hart said. “We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to grow our fan base in these first few months. We’ve spent a lot of time responding to what our fans say—it’s truly their win as much as it is ours. It’s a great place to spend a night out with family and friends.”
At Smokies Park last Friday night, the Smokies set a single-game record crowd of 7,805 fans. The record-breaking attendance smashed the previous franchise record of 7,787 that was set earlier this year in the first game of a day/night doubleheader on May 12.