There’s a controversy brewing over tickets for the 2024 MLB playoffs.
The San Diego Padres are restricting Los Angeles Dodgers fans from buying NLDS tickets for the games in San Diego.
The Padres are hoping for a home-field advantage when the series shifts to San Diego on Tuesday for Game 3 and then a potential Game 4 on Thursday in the best-of-five series.
Los Angeles fans who tried to buy tickets at Petco Park were met with a message that said, “Sales for this event are restricted to residents of San Diego County, southern Orange County, western Arizona, Las Vegas and the surrounding area, and all of Baja California.”
Residency is determined by the credit card billing address. Orders from residents outside those mentioned areas will be canceled without notice and refunded.
There were fewer than 1,000 tickets left for each possible game after a presale for season ticket members, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
While some fans are upset, this isn’t a new practice; the Padres blocked sales of tickets the last time the teams met in the MLB playoffs in 2022.