Tarik Skubal sends ticket prices soaring in Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field

The trade deadline has come and gone, but the frenzy surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers acquisition of two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is only just beginning. 

By the time the new Dodgers’ ace takes the mound for his debut in blue on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field, the price of admission will have climbed higher than fans’ anticipation.

According to SeatGeek, the cheapest ticket to Skubal’s Dodgers debut now carries a get-in price of $106, including fees. That’s a staggering 96.3% increase from the $54 entry price that was available on Saturday before Los Angeles finalized its blockbuster trade with the Detroit Tigers. 

In less than 72 hours, the cost to witness a Tuesday night regular-season game nearly doubled. 

Fans hoping for a lower-level seat won’t find much relief either. The least expensive ticket in the 100 level has now climbed to $176 at the time of this publication. Another 20% jump from this story we posted just 24 hours ago. 

That’s what happens when one of baseball’s best pitchers suddenly changes uniforms and joins the reigning back-to-back World Series Champions in their quest for a three-peat. 

Skubal will wear the same No. 29 jersey he wore in Detroit when he makes his first start for the boys in blue opposite Cubs’ right-hander Javier Assad. The 29-year-old southpaw arrives in Los Angeles with a 7-5 record and a sparkling 2.79 ERA this season. 

In his back-to-back Cy Young Award campaigns in Detroit, he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and was 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA last season. 

When the trade became official, Skubal fought back tears while discussing the next chapter of his career.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’m excited. They’ve got a good group.”

That “good group” already featured one of baseball’s best starting rotations on paper. Reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto headlines the staff that currently has Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani trying to work their way back from injuries. If all five are healthy come the postseason, the Dodgers would have one of the best playoff rotations in MLB history. 

As the Dodgers receive backlash for “ruining baseball,” Skubal pushed back on that narrative in his first comments with the media on Monday.

“Every team could trade for me, every team could make that acquisition,” Skubal said about the criticism the Dodgers have received since the trade was announced. “I don’t really sympathize with people that are complaining. Because the Dodgers do all the right things.”

The Dodgers entered Tuesday tied with the Brewers for the most wins in all of baseball and a commanding nine-game lead in the NL West. Across the diamond, the Cubs are trying to keep pace in the NL Central after strengthening their own starting rotation at the deadline by acquiring veteran Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett and Ryan Zeferjahn. 

Tuesday’s matchup already was a potential playoff preview, but Skubal’s debut has made it one of the hottest tickets in baseball. 

If you’d like to see it for yourself, last-minute tickets are still available.

Make sure to use promo code NYPOST10 for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout (Editor’s Note: this discount is only valid for users’ first purchase on SeatGeek).

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