Opened in 1962, Dodger Stadium is the biggest MLB arena with a capacity of 56,000, and this year ‘Dodger baseball’ has been one of the hottest tickets in town.
For the past two years the team’s total home attendance has passed four million. This year they set a franchise record of 4,034,219 – an average of 49,805 fans per game.
The signings of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2024 helped boost the team’s Asian fanbase, increasing Japanese tourism to LA and supplementing the loyal local support.
Actors Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Bryan Cranston, Jason Bateman and Rob Lowe are all regulars at Dodger Stadium, while Justin and Hailey Bieber have been spotted at multiple games.
NBA star LeBron James and NFL quarterback Justin Herbert both attended last year’s World Series, along with Sydney Sweeney, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Who will show up this weekend as LA hosts games one and two of the best-of-five series against Atlanta?
Having briefly been based in LA, Pierre Ducrey – sports director for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – has also watched numerous games at Dodger Stadium and is “quite familiar with the atmosphere it can deliver”.
“There’s so many Dodger fans and they’re very passionate about the team,” he told BBC Sport. “They have an incredible venue and one thing I do know about baseball is this is the perfect home for a baseball tournament.”