How to Buy Orioles-Cubs Tickets When the Teams Meet in Chicago
When the Baltimore Orioles travel to Wrigley Field to face the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore fans have three distinct purchasing routes, each with different price floors, seat selection flexibility, and secondary market risk. This guide explains what you'll actually pay, when games typically occur, and how Baltimore's sports ticket market compares to the broader MLB secondary market.
When Baltimore Plays Chicago
The Orioles and Cubs meet twice annually under MLB's current scheduling: once in Chicago and once in Baltimore at Camden Yards. The Chicago series falls on different dates each season depending on the league schedule. Check MLB.com or the official Orioles website for exact dates, as they shift yearly and determine ticket availability and pricing windows.
Games at Wrigley typically start at 1:20 p.m. (day games are common there) or 7:05 p.m. (evening). Day games generally cost less on the secondary market because fewer casual fans attend weekday afternoons, but they require you to take time off work if you're traveling from Baltimore.
Primary Market: Official Channels
The Cubs sell tickets directly through MLB.com and their official website. Buying here means you pay face value plus standard processing fees, usually $5 to $15 per ticket depending on the game's draw. This is the cheapest way to acquire tickets for most Orioles-Cubs games, particularly weekday afternoon matchups and early-season contests.
Advantage: you control your seat selection in real time, and you're guaranteed legitimate tickets delivered to your email. Disadvantage: popular games, especially weekend evening games or late-season contests with playoff implications, sell out quickly. The Cubs draw well at home regardless of opponent, but an Orioles series mid-August attracts fewer walk-ups than June games when weather is better.
Purchase directly through Cubs.com or call their box office. Processing is straightforward; tickets arrive as mobile tickets on your phone, which Wrigley accepts at entry gates.
Secondary Market: StubHub and SeatGeek
Once primary inventory sells out or approaches game day, secondary marketplaces become your only option. StubHub and SeatGeek list resales from other fans and brokers. Prices here fluctuate based on demand and typically exceed face value, especially for weekend games.
StubHub tends to have larger inventory because it's the largest resale platform; SeatGeek aggregates listings from multiple resellers and sometimes shows lower prices for the same seats. The difference is material. For an Orioles-Cubs game on a Saturday evening, the same upper-deck seat might list at $65 on StubHub and $52 on SeatGeek if a different seller holds it. Both platforms charge buyer's fees (around 10-15% of ticket price plus a flat fee).
Advantage: you can find tickets for sold-out games and often negotiate price by waiting until closer to game day, when sellers drop prices to move inventory. Disadvantage: you pay markups, and prices can spike if the Orioles are in playoff contention or if the Cubs-Orioles matchup unexpectedly becomes high-stakes.
Timing matters. A weekday afternoon game in early June might cost $25 to $35 face value on the primary market, with secondary prices around $30 to $40. The same team matchup in late September, if the Orioles are competing for a wild card, could hit $60 to $100 on secondary markets.
Ticketmaster's Secondary Resale
Ticketmaster operates a resale marketplace for Cubs tickets, and it sometimes undercuts independent secondary markets because it routes resales through the official channel. Check Ticketmaster.com alongside third-party platforms; the same game may have different inventory and pricing.
Seat Selection and Stadium Layout
Wrigley Field holds roughly 41,000. Outfield bleachers are the cheapest seating, typically $20 to $50 face value for less popular games. These seats are standing room or bench seating, and bleacher culture at Wrigley is social and loud; you're among Cubs fans and visiting fans, with limited protection from sun or rain.
Lower-bowl infield seats run $40 to $80 face value and offer good sightlines. Upper-deck infield seats run $25 to $50 and are fine for casual fans but farther from the field. Corner outfield seats (field level) are premium; expect $60 to $120 face value.
Visiting team sections are typically allocated in the upper deck along the first or third baseline. The Cubs don't segregate visiting fans extensively, so you may find Orioles fans scattered throughout. Arriving early and wearing Orioles gear lets you connect with other Baltimore fans who traveled.
Practical Cost Comparison
A realistic budget for one Orioles fan traveling from Baltimore to see the Cubs series:
- Weekday afternoon game, face value ticket: $30 to $45.
- Weekend evening game, secondary market: $55 to $85.
- Saturday night game in late season (high demand), secondary market: $80 to $150.
Add transportation (Amtrak from Baltimore-Penn to Chicago Union Station runs roughly $80 to $150 round trip), hotel (expect $100 to $180 per night near Wrigleyville), and food. The total cost per person for a single game trip ranges from $250 (weekday, budget hotel, face-value ticket) to $500+ (weekend, mid-range hotel, secondary-market ticket).
Locals and repeat visitors often bundle Cubs games with other Chicago attractions (Museum Campus, Navy Pier, Millennium Park), spreading the travel cost across multiple activities.
Regional Context: Baltimore's Secondary Market
Tickets for Orioles games at Camden Yards typically cost 15-30% less on secondary markets compared to equivalent Cubs tickets at Wrigley, reflecting lower overall demand for Baltimore baseball. An upper-deck seat at Camden Yards might cost $20 secondary on a typical game; at Wrigley, the same view costs $40. This is partly because Wrigley is an iconic venue and Chicago's secondary market is larger, but it also reflects Baltimore's smaller population and regional sports market.
If your priority is affordability, catch the Orioles at home. If you want to see Wrigley and will pay a premium, buying Cubs tickets through the secondary market 10-14 days before game day often yields better prices than purchasing the week of the game.
Making Your Purchase
Check the Cubs' official website first for availability and face-value pricing. If sold out, compare StubHub, SeatGeek, and Ticketmaster's resale listings. Set a price alert on SeatGeek if you're flexible on dates; the app notifies you when prices drop for a specific game. Buy at least three days before the game if using secondary markets to avoid last-minute seller cancellations or delivery delays, though most transactions complete within hours.
Bring a valid ID and your mobile ticket to Wrigley. Gates open two hours before first pitch for most games.
