MLB average attendance hit 26,806 per game in 2023, up 9% from 2022, while total attendance climbed to 70.7 million. That same year also brought $11.3 billion in revenue, record contract headlines, and standout numbers from the game’s most enduring legends. Let’s break down the key stats and what they reveal across seasons, players, and franchises.
Key Takeaways
- MLB average attendance was 26,806 per game in 2023, up 9% from 2022
- Total MLB attendance reached 70.7 million in 2023, highest since 2019 pre-COVID
- Dodger Stadium led MLB with 3.9 million attendees in 2023
- Barry Bonds holds the MLB career home run record with 762 home runs from 1986-2007
- Hank Aaron's 755 career home runs stood as the record for 33 years until broken by Bonds
- Babe Ruth's 714 career home runs rank 3rd all-time in MLB history
- Gerrit Cole led MLB with a 2.63 ERA in 2023 over 209 innings for the Yankees
- Jacob deGrom posted a 1.70 ERA in 2022 before injury, lowest in NL
- Clayton Kershaw has a career 2.48 ERA over 17 seasons with the Dodgers
- Babe Ruth pitched a 29.2 scoreless inning streak in 1916 World Series
- Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history on Oct 8, 1956
- Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" won 1951 NL pennant for Giants
- The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, most in MLB history
- The St. Louis Cardinals hold 11 World Series titles, second-most all-time
- Oakland Athletics have 9 World Series wins across three cities (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oakland)
MLB attendance rebounded in 2023 as revenues surged, while record contracts and stars powered the sport.
Attendance and Economics
1MLB average attendance was 26,806 per game in 2023, up 9% from 2022
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2Total MLB attendance reached 70.7 million in 2023, highest since 2019 pre-COVID
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3Dodger Stadium led MLB with 3.9 million attendees in 2023
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4Yankee Stadium drew 3.3 million fans in 2023, second-highest
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5Coors Field had average 34,465 per game in 2023 due to altitude appeal
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6Oakland Coliseum had lowest average attendance at 10,627 in 2023
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7MLB revenue hit $11.3 billion in 2023, driven by media deals and tickets
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8New York Yankees valued at $7.55 billion in 2024 Forbes rankings, highest
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9Los Angeles Dodgers valued at $4.8 billion, second in MLB per Forbes 2024
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10Shohei Ohtani signed 10-year $700 million contract with Dodgers in Dec 2023
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11Average MLB player salary was $4.51 million in 2023, up from prior year
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12Justin Verlander signed 2-year $86.5 million deal with Astros post-2022 Cy Young
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13Fenway Park, opened 1912, is oldest MLB stadium with 37,755 capacity
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14MLB minimum salary rose to $740,000 in 2024 from $720,000 in 2023
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15TV deals with ESPN, FOX, TBS worth $1.5 billion annually through 2021, renewed higher
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16Pete Alonso signed 8-year $182 million extension with Mets in 2024
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17Rafael Devers inked 10-year $313.5 million deal with Red Sox in 2023
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18Wrigley Field hosted 3 million fans in 2023, strong Cubs draw
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19Angel Stadium averaged 29,000+ in 2023 despite Angels' poor record
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20PNC Park in Pittsburgh drew 1.8 million in 2023 with scenic views boosting
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Attendance and Economics Interpretation
Baseball's coffers are overflowing, as evidenced by soaring attendance, gargantuan contracts, and record valuations, proving that while a team's performance on the field can be fickle, the business of the sport is in a league of its own.
Hitting and Batting
1Barry Bonds holds the MLB career home run record with 762 home runs from 1986-2007
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2Hank Aaron's 755 career home runs stood as the record for 33 years until broken by Bonds
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3Babe Ruth's 714 career home runs rank 3rd all-time in MLB history
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4Albert Pujols finished his career with 703 home runs, 4th all-time, across 22 seasons
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5Alex Rodriguez hit 696 career home runs, 5th all-time, playing for multiple teams
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6Willie Mays amassed 660 career home runs over 22 seasons with the Giants and Mets
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7Ken Griffey Jr. hit 630 home runs, tied for 7th all-time, known for his sweet swing
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8Jim Thome slugged 612 home runs in a power-hitting career spanning 1991-2012
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9Sammy Sosa launched 609 home runs, peaking with 66 in 1998 during the home run chase
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10Frank Thomas hit 521 home runs with a .301 career batting average as the Big Hurt
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11Ted Williams leads MLB with a .482 career on-base percentage over 19 seasons
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12Babe Ruth's .473 career OBP ranks 2nd all-time behind Williams
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13Ty Cobb holds the career batting average record at .366 from 1905-1928
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14Rogers Hornsby batted .358 career with a .434 OBP and 301 home runs
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15Shohei Ohtani batted .304 with 44 HR and 95 RBI in 2023 for the Angels
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16Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022, setting the AL single-season record
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17Pete Alonso led MLB with 53 home runs in 2019 as a rookie for the Mets
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18Giancarlo Stanton hit 59 home runs in 2017, a Marlins single-season record
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19Nolan Arenado batted .276 with 26 HR and 93 RBI in 2023 for the Cardinals
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20Freddie Freeman won the 2020 NL batting title with .341 average
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21Luis Arraez won the AL batting title in 2023 with .354 average for the Marlins/Padres
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22Ichiro Suzuki collected 509 hits in 2004, an MLB single-season record
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23George Sisler had 257 hits in 1920, a record that stood for 84 years
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24Lefty O'Doul batted .398 in 1929, one of the highest single-season averages
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25Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994, the highest since WWII
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26Stan Musial batted .331 career with 475 home runs over 22 years
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27Joe Morgan led MLB in OBP four times with a .392 career mark
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28Mookie Betts batted .292 with 31 HR and 107 RBI in 2023 for the Dodgers
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29Ronald Acuna Jr. hit .337 with 41 HR and 106 RBI in 2023, winning NL MVP
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30Corey Seager slashed .327/.390/.630 with 33 HR in 2023 playoffs
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31Nolan Nolan hit .315 with 33 doubles and 19 HR in 2023 for the Rangers
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32Nolan Nolan had 200 hits in 2019, joining elite company
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Hitting and Batting Interpretation
Barry Bonds' 762 home runs stand atop a statistical Everest where legends like Aaron and Ruth form the base camp, reminding us that the peaks of greatness are measured over generations, not just in raw numbers.
Pitching and Fielding
1Gerrit Cole led MLB with a 2.63 ERA in 2023 over 209 innings for the Yankees
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2Jacob deGrom posted a 1.70 ERA in 2022 before injury, lowest in NL
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3Clayton Kershaw has a career 2.48 ERA over 17 seasons with the Dodgers
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4Max Scherzer's 3.15 career ERA includes 3,123 strikeouts in 2,452 innings
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5Justin Verlander won his third Cy Young in 2022 at age 39 with 1.75 ERA in AL
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6Shane Bieber struck out 259 in 2020, leading MLB in 77.1 innings
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7Corbin Burnes had a 2.43 ERA in 2021 with 202 strikeouts for Brewers
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8Zack Wheeler posted 2.42 ERA in 2023 with 212 strikeouts for Phillies
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9Sandy Koufax holds the single-season ERA record of 1.77 in 1966
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10Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 is the modern single-season record
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11Nolan Ryan struck out 5,714 batters, MLB career record, over 27 seasons
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12Randy Johnson's 4,875 career strikeouts rank 2nd all-time
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13Pedro Martinez fanned 3,154 in career with 2.93 ERA peak dominance
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14Cy Young's 511 career wins is the all-time MLB record from 1890-1911
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15Walter Johnson's 417 wins rank 2nd all-time with 3,509 strikeouts
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16Greg Maddux won 355 games with a 3.16 ERA over 23 seasons
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17Andrelton Simmons leads MLB career Defensive Runs Saved with 189 from 2012-2022
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18Ozzie Smith has 44.2 career Defensive WAR, tops among shortstops
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19Brooks Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves at third base with elite fielding
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20Johnny Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves as catcher with 75% caught stealing
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21Roberto Clemente won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves in right field
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22Willie Mays won 12 Gold Gloves in center field with 7,095 putouts
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Pitching and Fielding Interpretation
These pitchers put up numbers so absurd they look like typos, while the defenders behind them performed so brilliantly they made a difficult game look easy.
Records and Milestones
1Babe Ruth pitched a 29.2 scoreless inning streak in 1916 World Series
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2Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history on Oct 8, 1956
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3Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" won 1951 NL pennant for Giants
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4Bill Mazeroski's walk-off HR in Game 7 won 1960 World Series for Pirates
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5Joe Carter's 3-run HR in 1993 WS Game 6 clinched title for Blue Jays
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6David Ortiz hit .688 in 2013 ALCS, leading Red Sox comeback from 3-0 deficit
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7Madison Bumgarner's 2.11 ERA in 2014 postseason won WS MVP for Giants
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8Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak at 2,130 on Sept 6, 1995
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9Rickey Henderson stole 1,406 career bases, MLB record, from 1979-2003
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10Lou Brock swiped 938 bases, NL record for decades, peaking at 118 in 1974
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11Ichiro Suzuki's 262 hits in 2004 set single-season record since 1920
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12Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa combined for 119 HR in 1998 home run chase
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13Fernando Valenzuela won NL Cy Young and Rookie of Year in 1981 strike-shortened season
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14Hideo Nomo won NL Rookie of Year in 1995 with 13-6 record for Dodgers
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15Jackie Robinson debuted on April 15, 1947, breaking MLB color barrier
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Records and Milestones Interpretation
Here is a one-sentence interpretation: This list is a beautiful argument that baseball's soul is found not in any single stat, but in the breathtaking moments of pure, pressurized human triumph—whether it's a legendary home run, a streak of endurance, a barrier shattered, or a pitcher simply deciding a game shall be perfect.
Team Performance
1The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, most in MLB history
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2The St. Louis Cardinals hold 11 World Series titles, second-most all-time
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3Oakland Athletics have 9 World Series wins across three cities (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oakland)
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4Boston Red Sox ended 86-year drought with 2004 World Series win over Cardinals
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5Los Angeles Dodgers won 2020 World Series in shortened season amid COVID
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6Texas Rangers won their first World Series in 2023 beating Arizona Diamondbacks
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7Chicago Cubs ended 108-year championship drought in 2016 vs Cleveland
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8New York Yankees set single-season wins record with 116 in 1998 (162 games)
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91906 Chicago Cubs won 116 games but lost World Series to White Sox
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102001 Seattle Mariners tied record with 116 wins but no postseason title
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11Atlanta Braves won 2021 World Series after NL East division title
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12Cincinnati Reds swept the 1976 World Series in 7 games? Wait, 4 games vs Yankees
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131990 Cincinnati Reds swept Oakland A's for World Series title
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14Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992-1993
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15Miami Marlins won 2003 World Series as Wild Card team beating Yankees
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16Arizona Diamondbacks won 2001 WS on Luis Gonzalez walk-off vs Yankees
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17The Yankees have 40 American League pennants, most in AL history
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18Dodgers have 25 NL pennants, tied for most in National League
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Team Performance Interpretation
Baseball history offers a masterclass in glorious achievement and agonizing irony, where dynasties like the Yankees' 27 crowns are punctuated by teams like the Mariners' 116-win futility, reminding us that October demands a special, often cruel, alchemy of talent and luck.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Professional Baseball Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/professional-baseball-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Professional Baseball Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/professional-baseball-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Professional Baseball Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/professional-baseball-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BASEBALL-REFERENCEbaseball-reference.com
baseball-reference.com
- Reference 2ESPNespn.com
espn.com
- Reference 3FORBESforbes.com
forbes.com
- Reference 4MLBmlb.com
mlb.com
- Reference 5SPOTRACspotrac.com
spotrac.com
- Reference 6MLBTRADERUMORSmlbtraderumors.com
mlbtraderumors.com
- Reference 7SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNALsportsbusinessjournal.com
sportsbusinessjournal.com