Considering the Fourth of July came on a Wednesday, Minor League Baseball put up some pretty good numbers for the 541 games played last week, with 2,358,269 announced fans at games — marking the third-highest attendance total for a single week in the last 11 seasons, trailing only the Independence Day weeks in 2017 and 2008.
Over the July 3-4 holiday, 994,983 fans attended Minor League Baseball games, with 13 teams setting single-game franchise attendance records (Augusta GreenJackets, Boise Hawks, Charlotte Knights, Danville Braves, Down East Wood Ducks, Erie SeaWolves, Grand Junction Rockies, Hillsboro Hops, Johnson City Cardinals, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Omaha Storm Chasers, Portland Sea Dogs and Winston-Salem Dash). And there were plenty of other teams attracting large crowds, as we documented at the time.
The 14 U.S.-based leagues and 160 clubs that charge admission averaged 6,297 fans per game over the July 3-4 holiday period, drawing 479,737 fans for 80 games on July 3, and 515,246 fans for 78 games on July 4. Each MiLB team hosted a game in its respective community over those two days. Fourth of July games in Fort Myers and San Antonio were rained out.
“Our teams and ballparks continue to provide memory-making experiences for fans all year long, and once again, Minor League Baseball has proven it is the destination for summer fun,” said Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner. “The fact that more than 2.3 million fans spent a portion of their Fourth of July holiday week at Minor League Baseball games is a testament to the entertainment value provided by our teams.”
The Buffalo Bisons drew the largest crowd among Triple-A teams, with 16,295 fans on July 3; the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp recorded the highest figure at the Double-A level (11,762 on July 3); while the Potomac Nationals posted the largest total at the Class-A level (10,555 on July 4) and the Spokane Indians drew the biggest crowd among Short Season level clubs (7,001 on July 4).
RELATED STORIES: Attendance Marks Shattered on Independence Day