Avg baseball playoff ticket prices down on StubHub

* Avg 1st-round playoff ticket prices off as much 50 pct
* Some L.A. Dodgers home playoff tickets as low as $13
* Avg World Series ticket prices seen not slumping too much

By Ben Klayman

CHICAGO, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Ticket prices for Major League
Baseball playoff games are down from last year as much as 50
percent in the secondary market as the weak economy has left
consumers wary of spending.

The most drastic example is in Los Angeles, where the
average price for the Dodgers' home playoff games in the first
round are selling for $74, about half the $149 they fetched
last year, according to market leader StubHub, a unit of eBay
Inc (EBAY.O). In fact, fans can even buy playoff tickets there
for as low as $13.

"The climate will not support exorbitant prices right now,
period," StubHub spokesman Andrew Pray said.

All leagues have been hurt by the recession as fans have
curtailed attendance and spending, and corporate sponsors have
trimmed budgets for pricey seats and sponsorships. Many sports,
including baseball, have seen a decline in attendance.

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels will play
each other in the first round of the playoffs for the third
straight year and prices have fallen every year.

"It's a recognition of the economic conditions we're faced
with," said Michael Cramer, professor of sports management at
New York University. "They mirror what we've seen throughout
the (baseball) regular season and what we're seeing in the fall
sports that have just started."

However, Cramer expects average prices for World Series
games will not suffer as fans always are willing to pay for
premium one-time events.

Tickets at Red Sox home games are selling for an average of
$167, down 5.6 percent from $177 last year, StubHub said. The
same tickets sold for an average of $303 in 2007.

For the Angels, the average price dropped 8.7 percent to
$94 from $103 last year. Those tickets sold for $146 in 2007.

Fans in Philadelphia can buy tickets for first-round games
of the defending champion Phillies for an average of $131, down
11.5 percent from $148 last year, StubHub said. They sold for
$270 in 2007.

Even in New York, the Yankees are seeing less this year
than they did in 2007, when they last made the playoffs, as the
average price has dropped 19 percent to $170 from $210,
according to StubHub.

The Colorado Rockies also missed the playoffs last year,
but their average price is down 23 percent to $86 from $112 in
2007, StubHub said.

Other first-round average ticket prices include Detroit
($126) or Minnesota ($170), which are playing a one-game
playoff on Tuesday to advance to a series against the Yankees;
and St. Louis ($108), StubHub said.
(Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Matthew Lewis)