A cold Monday night saw the Cincinnati Reds set a new attendance low at Great American Ball Park, with 7,799 fans turning out for a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Monday night, the Reds continued their season-opening homestand with a contest against division rival Milwaukee. The game drew a reported total of 7,799 fans, the lowest in Great American Ball Park’s history since its 2003 opening and more than 1,000 spectators below a previous ballpark attendance low point that was set in 2009.
Cincinnati has been dealing with cold temperatures over the early stretch of this season, likely a factor in Monday’s low turnout for the Reds’ 4-3 loss to the Brewers. More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
It was the smallest crowd in Great American Ball Park history, more than 1,000 fans below the second-smallest crowd (9,087) in 2009.
We can probably thank the weather in part for poor attendance.
Sunday’s game time temperature, which was only 35, tied for the second-coldest in GABP history, according to the Reds. It was about 46 Monday night when the game started, according to the National Weather Service.
Starting the MLB season in late March has left teams, especially those in more northern locations, to contend with the issues brought on by cold weather in recent years, be it scheduling complications from postponed games or diminished attendance figures because fans are not inclined to sit through uncomfortable conditions. This was evident in a few cases during the early phases of the 2018 season, so the Reds are one of several teams that have had to deal with low attendance figures at some late-March/early-April games in recent seasons.