Phillies Ticket Prices To Confusingly Increase and Decrease At the Same Time

Sep 26, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Phillies are NOT increasing ticket prices in 2013.

Yet, there are tickets that will be more expensive next year than they were this year.

No, you’re not caught up in a mind-bending, alternate universe, Star Trek wormhole-type scenario here. The Phils’ ticket policy for next year is actually pretty simple.

Some of the more awesomer games are going to cost a little bit extra. And some of the suckier contests on the schedule (yes, we’re looking in your direction Pittsburgh Pirates) will actually be cheaper than last year.

Phils officials are calling it a “modified pricing structure.” Basically, it’s an admission that some of the games on the 2013 schedule are going to rock the house, while others are going to be a mind-numbing waste of time.

It’s actually a pretty smart idea that most teams in the league are already implementing. In fact, 26 of MLB’s 30 franchises use some kind of modified pricing structure for the most sought-after games.

John Weber, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Operations, said yesterday “We took a look at it and picked 10 games [to increase prices]. And 10 other games will go down the same amount. It’s a very simplified pricing model. There is no price increase [overall].

“The key for us was to maintain the same price for our season ticketholders, who have been very important in our success since moving over to Citizens Bank Park.”

Among the factors considered were the awesomeness or crappiness of the opponent, and what day of the week a game happened to fall on.

According to Ryan Lawrence of The Daily News, the 10 more expensive games will be Friday, April 5 vs. Kansas City (Opening Day), Wednesday and Thursday May 29 and 30 vs. Boston, Sunday, June 2 vs. Milwaukee, Tuesday, June 4 vs. Miami, Saturday, June 22 vs. New York Mets, Saturday, July 6 vs. Atlanta, Thursday, July 11 vs. Washington, Friday, July 12 vs. Chicago White Sox and Wednesday, Aug. 21 vs. Colorado.

The 10 less expensive games will be Thursday, April 18 vs. St. Louis, Monday and Tuesday, April 22 and 23 vs. Pittsburgh, Thursday, May 2 vs. Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 6 vs. Chicago Cubs, Tuesday, Aug. 20 vs. Colorado, Tuesday and Wednesday Sept. 3 and 4 vs. Washington, Sunday Sept. 8 vs. Atlanta and Wednesday, Sept. 11 vs. San Diego.

Of the 10 more expensive games, eight are against teams from the NL and AL East, and all but one takes place before the All-Star Break. Six of the 10 games that will be cheaper are scheduled for after the All-Star Break.

Under the new pricing structure, the Diamond Club seats (which are the priciest) will cost $10 more, going up to $145 for the more expensive games. They’ll cost $10 less, down to $125 for the least expensive tickets at Citizens Bank Park. Normally, those tickets go for $135.

The cheapest seat at the ballpark fluctuates by $3. In the 10 higher-priced games, tickets in the terrace deck and pavilion deck are $19; in the lower-priced games, the same seats go for $13. For the remaining games, those tickets are $16.

Of course, if the Phillies return to prominence again next year, the only way you’ll be able to get tickets again is on StubHub, so most of these prices could turn out to be useless anyway.