MLB pulls in record attendance while competing with major UFC event: "Very promising for baseball"

MLB enjoyed quite the day on Saturday, July 29. According to MLB communications, it was the highest average across the league in 10 years. Everyone was at the ballpark that day as all teams were in action during the heat of summer. Even with a UFC event happening that day, everyone went out.

According to their statistics, the game's drew over 580,000 cumulative fans- a stunning average of over 38,000 fans in attendance. That is the highest in a decade and nine games saw more than 40,000 fans in stands (11 saw over 35,000).

The Marlins had their best attendance since the 2017 home opener and the Orioles vs. Yankees matchup was Baltimore's second sellout of the season.

The Diamondbacks saw their best day since the beginning of this season and over 45,000 people showed up to watch two basement-dwellers: the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies. Clearly, baseball is growing tremendously.

Sports insider Justin Macmahan said:

"That’s a bit surprising since they were competing with UFC and it was hot in a lot of places. Very promising for baseball in general!"

With a top UFC event on the card last night, it would've made sense for sports fans to be at home watching, but they were almost entirely at the ballpark. That kind of turnout for a sport that had been losing fans is incredibly impressive.

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MLB growth just what Rob Manfred ordered

This kind of growth for MLB is exactly what Rob Manfred has been looking for. Despite the controversies, he has tried to improve the fan experience and make the game more accessible.

Rob Manfred hoped for MLB growth

He's done so with bigger bases, a pitch clock and much more. It seems to have worked so far, with attendance all year looking good. That culminated in an exceptional day yesterday.

Manfred's sole goal has been to make the game better for fans. That's why he introduced the ghost runner and did all things some fans hate him for. Love the new rules or not, they seem to be working and they may have played a role in the top attendance numbers.