The Orioles will not raise prices on season-ticket plans and individual game tickets for the 2015 season.
The team was nearly two months behind in sending invoices to season-ticket holders this offseason, prompting speculation that it would raise prices, especially coming off the Orioles' best season in 17 years. Last season, the Orioles raised season-ticket prices on all plans by an average of about 5 percent, the first increase in cost since 2008.
The Orioles are still expected to send statements to season-ticket holders via email by Monday. Last season, that information was sent out in early November. The delay was at least partially due to the organization deciding whether to raise ticket prices for 2015, according to a club spokesman.
"Every year, we do pretty thorough analysis factoring in various elements to determine our pricing," Orioles vice president for communications and marketing Greg Bader said. "Ultimately, we were driven by the fact that we wanted to keep providing affordable family-friendly entertainment. We wanted to ensure that Orioles baseball remained among the more affordable experiences among the four major sports.
"At the end of the day, the decision was made to keep the prices the same to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy Orioles baseball."
The team also is going to an online process with its season-ticket-plan statements this season, but fans still can pay by phone, mail or in person. Season-ticket plans start at $160 each for a 13-game plan, which is actually cheaper than last year ($168) because of the way the plan breaks down and an increased number of Tuesday bargain-night home dates.
Other season-ticket plans available are 20, 29, 40 and the full-season 81 games.
The Orioles will keep their existing variable pricing system -- expanded last season -- for individual game tickets. There are five different pricing levels for individual games, with high-profile weekend games costing more and a weekday matchup with a less-popular opponent. Dynamic pricing -- in which prices can fluctuate based on demand -- for individual game tickets will remain as well.
Individual game tickets usually go on sale during FanFest, but they will not be available for purchase at this year's event Saturday at Baltimore Convention Center. The team will announce when those will go on sale at a later date.
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