Dirt-cheap playoff tickets send Phillies fans flocking to Arizona for NLCS away games
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For the price of round-trip plane tickets and one night in a hotel, you could potentially see the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for cheaper than at home.
After going up 2-0 in the National League Championship Series at home, the Phillies head out to Arizona for Game 3 and Game 4. Game 5 would also be held at the Diamondbacks' Chase Field if necessary in the best-of-seven series.
Can you save money by traveling to watch the Phillies in Arizona?
Let's do some back-of-the-napkin math real quick.
On SeatGeek, MLB's official reselling partner, tickets at Chase Field can be had for as little as $13 (that's a drop from earlier Wednesday when the cheapest tickets were $19). Compare that to $250 for the cheapest standing room seats to a potential NLCS Game 6 at Citizens Bank Park (which may not be necessary). So, definitely some savings there.
There are plenty of hotel rooms in the Phoenix area to be had for under $200, under $100 if you're lucky.
The cheapest flight to Phoenix that we could find goes for around $333 round trip - that leaves from Newark-Liberty International Airport though, so you'd have to make your way up to North Jersey first. Still, it's a way to save money.
If you're leaving from Philadelphia International Airport or flying direct, you're looking at closer to $1,000 a ticket.
So let's just say two people are considering a last minute trip to Arizona. The cheapest you could get is probably - $667 on flights (before tax), about $50 on game tickets (trying to account for taxes and fees), maybe $250 for two nights in cheap lodging plus fees, and you're looking at a total around $1,000 before meals and souvenirs.
You could splurge on great seats at Chase Field to get more bang for your buck, and potentially catch an Arizona Coyotes game or even get an authentic Philly cheesesteak to make the most of your trip.
If there were a Game 6 in this series - the next time the Phillies would be at home - the cheapest available ticket right now on SeatGeek is $250 for standing room only. Most are above $350 and if you want a seat, you're likely paying around $400 each, not including fees. Prices for a Game 7 - if necessary - start at $631 according to SeatGeek.
Depending on your standards for taking in a baseball game, you could definitely spend more than $1,000 seeing another game at Citizens Bank Park, even before thinking about parking.
The minimum price on SeatGeek for a World Series ticket at CBP is about $1,300.
Local family heading to Arizona for NLCS, already been to Atlanta this postseason
CBS Philadelphia caught up with the Ernst family in 2022 when they traveled to Houston to catch two away games as the Phillies took on the Astros in the World Series.
This MLB postseason, the Ernsts have already been to Atlanta for the National League Division Series. Now they're headed to Phoenix to catch the NLCS.
Watch the full video from Wakisha Bailey above.
Phillies fans follow team to Phoenix
Phillies fans are following the team to Phoenix as many have been flying out of Philadelphia International Airport Wednesday.
According to American Airlines' website, all of its Wednesday afternoon direct flights to Phoenix are sold out though there are several connecting flights.
Many fans flying out Wednesday morning did double takes when they saw one familiar-looking passenger waiting in the security line: Manny Trillo.
The former second baseman, NLCS MVP and member of the Phillies' 1980 World Series team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch during Tuesday night's game.
"Having the crowd behind [me] again, it was excellent," Trillo said. "These two days down here was excellent."
While he won't be traveling to Phoenix, Trillo said the current Phillies players will love seeing fans on the road.
Phillies' fan Craig Sorrentino planned to contribute to the atmosphere in Phoenix.
"We're going to bring the hype! Oh yeah, we're going to bring the hype!" Sorrentino said. "It's going to be crazy. It's going to be 'Red October' there! Yeah, it's going to be fun!"
He and other fans, including John Newman, said it was cheaper to buy tickets in Phoenix than in Philadelphia.
"We bought ours a few days ago, and it's already like half the price that we paid," Newman said. "We're going to buy tickets day by day because it looks like, I think, the cheapest ticket price I saw was $19 in the nosebleeds."
Red October Phillies Pep Rally in South Philly
The Red October Bus Tour made a stop at Chickie's and Pete's Wednesday night.
Fans waived their rally towels, signed the bus and had a visit from the Phillie Phanatic, which never disappoints.
"Ring the bell! I'm proud to ring the bell for my Fightin' Phils. We are number one, baby, yeah," Monty G said.
Fans said they can't get enough each game and they admire the way the team brings the city together.
"I am feeling psyched," a woman said. "I lost my voice at the game last night that is how psyched I am. Go Phils, I brought the flag. We put this on the scooter and when we leave the stadium after they win we drove home with it in the scooter and we are like, 'Yeah, Phils!'"