Mets', Yankees' first-half attendance numbers down from last season despite MLB's overall rise

Despite an overall rise in Major League Baseball attendance this season, the Mets and Yankees were down at the All-Star break as compared to the same period in 2025.

The Mets suffered the bigger drop of the two teams: They were down 8% from 2025, with an average of 3,103 more empty seats at Citi Field. That makes sense; the Mets, who resumed their season on Thursday, started the second half in last place in the NL East at 40-57.

This season, the Mets’ average attendance is 35,659, which was seventh in MLB. The second half might not be much brighter at the box office, given that the team started it 16 games out of first place.

The Mets drew an average of 38,762 in the first half of 2025. After signing Juan Soto away from the Yankees, they were one of the best teams in baseball at the All-Star break before a stunning collapse caused them to miss the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

The Yankees were down 2.3%, or 935 fans per game, going into this year's break. They have a chance to increase their average attendance in the second half because they have marquee matchups remaining against the Dodgers (this weekend), Mets, Red Sox and Atlanta plus Old-Timers' Day. That's 13 games that the team designated as “premium” versus only six in the first half (Opening Day, Aaron Judge Bobblehead Day, the July 4 game and three matchups with Boston, one of which was rained out and will be replayed as part of a separate-admission day-night doubleheader on Aug. 29).

The Yankees drew 41,710 fans per game in the first half in 2025 and 40,775 in 2026; both figures were third in MLB. The Yankees, who begin their second half on Friday night, finished the first half at 54-42 and trailed the AL East-leading Rays by three games.

The Mets have had 49 home games and the Yankees have had 43. Both teams declined to comment on their first-half attendance.

Attendance across MLB was up 1.1% at the break, according to Sports Business Journal.

The Mets in 2025 were up a whopping 38% in average attendance over 2024 for the full season as the club drew a Citi Field-record 3,182,057.

But the terrible start to this season, which already led to the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza, has more fans staying away from the ballpark.

“The Mets, I think, are the biggest disappointment of baseball,” said Doug Logan, the former commissioner of Major League Soccer and former CEO of USA Track & Field (and a Yankees fan). “Boy, it's hard to explain how badly they're doing, and with the money they're spending, it's beyond me. The anger with [Mets president of baseball operations David] Stearns has come quickly, from belief to disbelief very quickly. It turned very quickly.

“Now, Met fans don't have a long list of patience, when you think about it. They've suffered. They've suffered a while. It’s an interesting thing to see where they're at and where they've collapsed.”

Longtime Mets season-ticket holder Lisa Gangi of Roslyn said the atmosphere at Citi Field this year has been “sad.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gangi said. “The only reason you’re going to get crowds is the giveaways, bobbleheads or hats, anything; that’s the only way people are getting into the ballpark. Or any type of promotional deal, like what they do on Tuesdays with the $5 hot dogs. Otherwise, on regular days when there’s nothing like that, it’s a very small crowd. People are not going to spend this type of money on a team that’s not performing and is in last place. It’s not going to happen.”

Gangi said she attended about 20 games in the first half and plans to go to about 10 or 15 in the second half. Trying to unload her tickets on the secondary market has been difficult, and even if she can, it’s for less than face value.

“I’m losing money,” she said. “If I can’t sell them, I just go.”

Robert Boland, a sports law professor at Seton Hall who also concentrates on gaming, hospitality and entertainment (and a Mets fan), said: “The Mets, I think, are a much more endemic issue [than the Yankees] in that unless expectations are high and the team is competitive, there's going to be a drop-off of fans. It's not much of a secret, unfortunately. Expectations were low, and certainly losing games in droves brought them empty seats.

“They would probably say that they haven't had the meat of their season or their best series yet. But they're probably going to be underperforming no matter what. And if you think about it, down 3,100 a game is probably pretty good ticketing and good ticketing control.”

The Yankees drew an average of 42,408 to Yankee Stadium in 2025, a 1.2% increase over the previous year.

“I think the Yankees' numbers are probably manageable,” Boland said. “They are going to suggest that they haven't had their prime series yet. They're still in pennant contention. I do think a Dodger series, a Mets series and a Red Sox series will all mean something. We may look at them at the end of the year and say, ‘Hey, they were just where we thought they would be or where they were last year.' ”