With opening day less than a month away, the Minor League Baseball team sold around 11,000 tickets on Tuesday for its annual Dime-A-Degree promotion.
As the clock ticks closer to opening day at the home of the Portland Sea Dogs, the baseball team cashed in this week's mild weather for a high-scoring ticket promotion.
For the team's annual Dime-A-Degree special, general admission tickets were priced at $4.80 apiece all day Tuesday based on a temperature of 48 degrees at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field.
On a regular day, single-game general admission tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for kids and seniors — still a fraction of the price of a Red Sox game at Boston's Fenway Park.
On Tuesday, the Sea Dogs sold around 11,000 tickets at the special price, roughly in line with the team's expectations, according to Chris Cameron, the team's vice president for communications and fan experience.
The team kicked off the annual promotion in 2013.
"It started as a fun way to use the Maine weather to ignite ticket sales during the off-season," Cameron told Mainebiz. "It has proven to be a huge success and something that fans look forward to each year."
This year's promotion comes amid the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic, featuring 27 former Sea Dogs and coaches on 14 of the 20 participating teams.
Countdown to opening day
As of Thursday, opening day is 26 days away, as shown in the team's online countdown clock, which also shows hours, minutes and seconds. The Dogs will take on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the home opener on Tuesday, April 7, at 4 p.m.
As of Wednesday, Cameron said that around 4,000 tickets had been sold so far for opening day, "which is about where we should be right now."
"As the weather warms and the date gets closer, there will be a big bump," he predicted.
The Portland Sea Dogs, owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings and led by Geoff Iacuessa and General Manager Jesse Scallion, are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
Baseball season encompasses 69 scheduled home games in Portland, where the Sea Dogs have five bobblehead giveaways planned this year.
