Cleveland Guardians

Edwin Encarnacion fever results in 'big increase' in season tickets for Indians

Published Dec. 24, 2016 12:55 p.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Edwin Encarnacion is already paying dividends for his new team after agreeing to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.

According to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, the Indians sold nearly 200 season ticket packages on Friday – a day that was supposed to be a holiday for employees. The team decided to open its ticket office after the Encarnacion news broke.

A team spokesman characterized the total as a “big increase over a normal day in the team's ticket office.”

https://twitter.com/Indians/status/812387338202398720

That’s great news for the Indians, who are counting on a commitment from fans after taking a risk by adding such a big chunk to their payroll.

Despite their wildly successful 2016 season – which included their first World Series appearance since 1997 -- the Indians ranked 28th in the majors in attendance. That actually was an improvement over 29th in 2015, last in 2014 and 29th in 2013.