Angels Raise Ticket Prices Again; Average Goes Up 9%

The Angels raised the price of virtually every seat in the house Tuesday, but the extra revenue won’t generate nearly enough money to pay Mo Vaughn should he accept their contract offer.

The average ticket price for the 1999 season will be $13.35, up 9% from this year, the Angels said. The Angels raised the average price 27% last year.

In 1998, the average price for a major league game ranged from $20.63 in Boston to $8.22 in Minnesota, according to Team Marketing Report. The $13.35 figure would have ranked 16th among the 30 major league teams.

The Angels plan to allocate much of the additional revenue toward an increased payroll, according to vice president Tim Mead. The Angels attracted 2.5 million fans to the renovated Edison Field last season, their highest attendance in eight years.

“We’re not naive enough to think the ballpark will be a big show in ‘99,” Mead said. “Fans are looking for something more.”

The Angels have offered $12 million per season to Vaughn, a prolific slugger, and about $11 million per season to Randy Johnson, a dominating pitcher. Even if attendance jumps to 2.8 million, matching the franchise record, the price increase would generate an additional $6.8 million, far short of offsetting the cost of signing either player.

As spiraling ticket prices follow spiraling salaries, major league baseball risks losing its aura of affordability, particularly against a night at the movies. With the Angels raising lower-view box seats from $9 to $11 and upper-view seats from $8.50 to $10, more than 15,000 seats are no longer priced below $10.

And, with prices in the family pavilion in left field up to $6 for adults and $3 for children, the cost for tickets for a family of four jumps from $12 this year to $18 next year.

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The Angels will open their 1999 season April 6 in Anaheim with a 7 p.m. game against the defending American League Central Division champion Cleveland Indians. The first home stand is brief, with only two more games against the Indians, then the Angels embark on a seven-game trip to Texas and Oakland before returning to Anaheim to host the Seattle Mariners.

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The Angels’ 1999 schedule (all Pacific times):

APRIL 6--Cleveland, 7 p.m.; 7--Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.; 8--Cleveland, 7 p.m.; 9--at Texas, 5:30 p.m.; 10--at Texas, 5:30 p.m.; 11--at Texas, noon; 12--at Texas, 11:30 a.m.; 13--at Oakland, 7 p.m.; 14--at Oakland, 7 p.m.; 15--at Oakland, 12:15 p.m.; 16--Seattle, 7 p.m.; 17--Seattle, 7 p.m.; 18--Seattle, 1 p.m.; 20--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 21--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 22--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 23--at Kansas City, 5 p.m.; 24--at Kansas City, 11 a.m.; 25--at Kansas City, 11 a.m.; 26--Toronto, 7 p.m.; 27--Toronto, 7 p.m.; 28--Toronto, 7:30 p.m.; 29--Toronto, 7 p.m.; 30--Chicago, 7 p.m.

MAY 1--Chicago, 7 p.m.; 2--Chicago, 7 p.m.; 3--Chicago, 1 p.m.; 4--at Detroit, 4 p.m., 5--at Detroit, 4 p.m.; 6--at Detroit, 4 p.m.; 7--at Boston, 4 p.m.; 8--at Boston, 10 a.m.; 9--at Boston, 10 a.m.; 11--at New York, 4:30 p.m.; 12--at New York, 4:30 p.m.; 13--at New York, 4:30 p.m.; 14--Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.; 15--Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.; 16--Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.; 18--at Baltimore, 4 p.m.; 19--at Baltimore, 4 p.m.; 20--at Baltimore, 4 p.m.; 21--at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.; 22--at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.; 23--at Tampa Bay, 10:30 a.m.; 25--Baltimore, 7 p.m.; 26--Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.; 27--Baltimore, 7 p.m.; 28--Kansas City, 7 p.m.; 29--Kansas City, 7 p.m.; 30--Kansas City, 5 p.m.; 31--Minnesota, 5 p.m.

JUNE 1--Minnesota, 7 p.m.; 2--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.; 4--at Dodgers, 7 p.m.; 5--at Dodgers, 7 p.m., 6--at Dodgers, 1 p.m.; 7--at San Francisco, 7 p.m.; 8--at San Francisco, 1 p.m.; 9--at San Francisco, 12:30 p.m.; 11--Arizona, 7 p.m.; 12--Arizona, 7 p.m.; 13--Arizona, 5 p.m.; 15--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 16--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 17--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 18--at New York, 4:30 p.m.; 19--at New York, 1 p.m.; 20--at New York, 10:30 a.m.; 22--at Seattle, 7 p.m.; 23--at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.; 24--at Seattle, 7 p.m.; 25--Oakland, 7 p.m.; 26--Oakland, 7 p.m.; 27--Oakland, 5 p.m.; 28--Texas, 7 p.m.; 29--Texas, 7 p.m.; 30--Texas, 7:30 p.m.

JULY 2--at Oakland, 7:30 p.m.; 3--at Oakland, 6:15 p.m.; 4--at Oakland, 1 p.m.; 5--Seattle, 7 p.m.; 6--Seattle, 7 p.m.; 7--Seattle, 7:30 p.m.; 9--at Colorado, 6 p.m.; 10--at Colorado, 5 p.m.; 11--at Colorado, noon; 12-14--All-Star Break; 15--Dodgers, 7 p.m.; 16--Dodgers, 7 p.m.; 17--Dodgers, 5 p.m.; 18--San Diego, 5 p.m.; 19--Padres, 5 p.m.; 20--Padres, 1 p.m.; 21--at Texas, 5:30 p.m.; 22--at Texas, 5:30 p.m.; 23--at Baltimore, 4 p.m.; 24--at Baltimore, 4 p.m.; 25--at Baltimore, 10:30 a.m.; 26--at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.; 27--at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.; 28--at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.; 30--Minnesota, 7 p.m.; 31--Minnesota, 7 p.m.

AUGUST 1--Minnesota, 5 p.m.; 2--Kansas City, 7 p.m.; 3--Kansas City, 7 p.m.; 4--Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.; 5--Boston, 7 p.m.; 6--Boston, 7 p.m.; 7--Boston, 7 p.m.; 8--Boston, 5 p.m.; 9--Cleveland, 7 p.m.; 10--Cleveland, 7 p.m.; 11--Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.; 13--at Detroit, 4 p.m.; 14--at Detroit, 10 a.m.; 15--at Detroit, 10 a.m.; 16--at Chicago, 5 p.m.; 17--at Chicago, 5 p.m.; 18--at Chicago, 5 p.m.; 19--at Chicago, 11 a.m.; 20--Detroit, 7 p.m.; 21--Detroit, 7 p.m.; 22--Detroit, 5 p.m.; 23--Detroit, 7 p.m.; 24--Toronto, 7 p.m.; 25--Toronto, 1 p.m.; 27--at Boston, 4 p.m.; 28--at Boston, 1 p.m.; 29--at Boston, 10 a.m.; 30--at Cleveland, 4 p.m.; 31--at Cleveland, 4 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 1--at Cleveland, 4 p.m.; 2--at Cleveland, 4 p.m.; 3--New York, 7 p.m.; 4--New York, 7 p.m.; 5--New York, 5 p.m.; 6--New York, 5 p.m.; 7--Chicago, 7 p.m.; 8--Chicago, 7:30 p.m.; 10--at Minnesota, 5 p.m.; 11--at Minnesota, 9 a.m.; 12--at Minnesota, 11 a.m.; 13--at Minnesota, 5 p.m.; 14--at Kansas City, 5 p.m.; 15--at Kansas City, 5 p.m.; 16--at Kansas City, 11 a.m.; 17--Baltimore, 7 p.m.; 18--Baltimore, 7 p.m.; 19--Baltimore, 5 p.m.; 20--Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.; 21--Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.; 22--Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.; 24--at Seattle, 7 p.m.; 25--at Seattle, 6 p.m.; 26--at Seattle, 1:30 p.m.; 28--Oakland, 7 p.m.; 29--Oakland, 7:30 p.m.; 30--Oakland, 7 p.m.

OCTOBER 1--Texas, 7 p.m.; 2--Texas, 7 p.m.; 3--Texas, 1 p.m.