It’s one of those things that is as sure as death and taxes. The instant … the very moment that the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs to advance to the 2017 World Series, it was an absolute given that season ticket prices for the 2018 season were going to go up – plain and simple. And the have.

A lot.

“My front row seats in the Left Field Pavilion went up $16 per game per seat,” exclaimed 54-year-old longtime Dodgers season ticket holder and noted ball hawk Keith Hupp, who caught Justin Turner‘s 3-run walk-off home run in Game-2 of the National League Championship Series against the aforementioned Cubs. “This is ridiculous, this is a 25 percent increase. I really have to re-think this now.”

Lifelong Dodger fan and longtime season ticket holder Keith Hupp (left) and his son Lindley pose with Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner after Hupp gave JT his historic home run ball back. (Photo courtesy of Keith Hupp)

But there was no re-thinking for Steve Holmes of Paso Robles, California, who is also a longtime Dodgers season ticket holder.

“I’m out,” said the 63-year-old lifelong Dodger fan.

Although Hupp and Holmes are among those Left Field Pavilion front row ‘premiere’ season ticket holders, 29-year-old Los Angeles resident Mari Monteil has season seats in the Left Field Pavilion several rows farther up. But even at that, the longtime Dodgers and LA Kings season ticket holder did not escape a significant price increase for next season.

“My seats went up $6 per seat pre game,” said the noticeably upset Dodgers and Kings fan.

When Dodger Stadium opened in 1962, an adult ticket in the Left Field Pavilion cost $1.50 and a kid’s ticket was 75 cents. My how things have changed. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Kendrea Leroy of Bakersfield, California has shared her Baseline Box seats down the left field line at Dodger Stadium with several close friends for the past five seasons. She, too, is feeling the pressure to perhaps give up her season seats because of reoccurring price increases … every year.

“My tickets are going up $2,400,” said the 44-year-old mother of two. “The last three years [the Dodgers] have raised prices and we are on a three-year contract because they were going to gouge us year-to-year. They are pricing me out of those seats.”

Unfortunately for Hupp, Holmes, Monteil, Leroy (and yours truly), don’t expect any sympathy from the Dodgers over the significant stadium-wide season ticket price increases for 2018. And if Steve Holmes is indeed “out,” as he says he is, the Dodgers have a Season Tickets Waitlist reported to be in the tens of thousand. As such, it’s fair to say that existing season ticket holders choosing not to renew their seats out of protest won’t even be given a second thought by Dodgers season ticket sales representatives.

A Field Level ticket for 1963 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees cost $12. Tickets in the same area for the just-concluded 2017 World Series were going for well above $4,000 on StubHub. (Image courtesy of Alex Soto)

Such is the price – literally – of fielding a World Series-caliber team.

In fact, imagine what the price increases might have been had the Dodgers won the 2017 World Series.