The Philadelphia Phillies' reported signing of free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330-million deal on Thursday is paying immediate dividends.
In the 24 hours since news of the deal broke, the Phillies have sold 100,000 tickets, senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber told 94WIP on Friday.
"I'm happy. I'm very, very happy," Weber said.
Weber, who has worked with the Phillies since 1987, believes the sudden surge in ticket sales is some sort of record.
"My records, it is," he said. "Obviously, our big signings of Jim Thome in '02. We had four months to sell him, we were going into a new ballpark in a year. And then Cliff Lee came back as a free agent, but that was after we'd been to two World Series. We have tickets to sell."
Weber also confirmed there was an uptick in ticket sales in right field, where Harper is expected to play.
"We absolutely did sell some in the right-field area," Weber explained. "It was an exciting day, we stayed opened until 6:30. We'll be open this Saturday and looking forward to the season."