Chicago, Illinois, USA; Fans walk to the ballpark before a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

MLB Rivalry Weekend Draws Attendance Spike Not Seen in 13 Years

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated May 19, 2025 2:19 PM ET

The inaugural MLB Rivalry Weekend was jam-packed with big storylines, from much-anticipated debuts and wild walk-offs to Juan Soto's return to the Bronx and the start of Clayton Kershaw's 18th season.

Unsurprisingly, plenty of fans were eager to watch it all go down in-person.

MLB announced Monday that the league drew 1,608,475 fans to 45 games over the weekend, averaging 35,744 fans at each contest. That was good for the highest total and average attendance for a pre-Memorial Day weekend since 2012, per MLB.

Led by the first edition of #RivalryWeekend, @MLB produced its best weekend total and average attendance prior to Memorial Day Weekend in 13 years. pic.twitter.com/2oLZUhCwWI
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) May 19, 2025

There were multiple crosstown showdowns – like the New York Yankees hosting the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs playing the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers facing the Los Angeles Angels – as well as inter-state rivals going head to head in Ohio and Florida. Some matchups that didn't fit the "rivalry" theme quite as cleanly, like the Atlanta Braves' visit to the Boston Red Sox, were big draws in their own right.

Leading into the weekend, MLB broke the all-time attendance record for a pre-June Wednesday. The league-wide attendance on April 18 was the highest for a Friday in April with no home openers since 2008, while the average attendance in April as a whole reached its highest mark since 2017.

Baseball appears to be in a healthy place post-COVID and post-sweeping rule changes. Even with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over MLB's future TV rights, fans seem more than willing to leave their homes to watch the biggest games in packed ballparks.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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