Baseball is alive and well in the Alberta capital as the Edmonton Riverhawks have once again been able to draw quite an impressive crowd.
The team blasted the Port Angelas Lefties by a score of 16-3 in their annual Canada Day game at ReMax Field in the heart of the Edmonton River Valley. The crowd that witnessed the big win was the largest in franchise history as over 9,000 fans packed the stadium in the team’s first-ever sell-out.
In contrast, the MLB’s Oakland A’s have been averaging just over 7,200 fans at their games this season. The Miami Marlins have also had home games where less than 9,000 fans have been in the crowd.
9,000 +
unreal. pic.twitter.com/8lSgLh756N
— Edmonton Riverhawks (@EdmRiverhawks) July 2, 2024
It’s been quite a successful season for the Riverhawks on and off the field. They are coming off a season where they set the single-season attendance record for the West Coast League (WCL), drawing 104,748 fans throughout 29 home games last year.
With the bigger crowds have come better results. Through 27 games this season, the Riverhawks hold an 18-9 record and are tied for first place in the North Division with the Wenatchee AppleSox.
The game looked like an absolute blast to be at as people walking in the river valley were able to hear the crowd singing along to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
To everyone at the @EdmRiverhawks game tonight, that was some pretty good singing!! lol #yeg #sweetcaroline pic.twitter.com/liNsTYic7s
— Keith Moore (@kmoorephotos) July 2, 2024
In terms of how they are doing with attendance compared to their WCL counterparts, the Riverhawks are leading the league. They are currently averaging about 3,636 fans per game, which is slightly more than the 3,313 fans that the Portland Pickles have been averaging.
The Riverhawks are averaging 12 times more fans to their games than the last place Springfield Drifters (302).
It’s safe to say that Edmonton is quickly turning into a baseball town in the summer months and if the Riverhawks can continue their success, it’s only going to get better.
The next home game down at ReMax Field is set for this Friday against the Kamloops NorthPaws.