Red Sox ticket sales down 6 percent from last year

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A fast start for the Red Sox could aid some slow sales.

Team CEO Sam Kennedy told NBC Sports Boston on Thursday that the club’s ticket sales are down a little more than 6 percent compared to this point a year ago.

“It’s not an overwhelmingly troubling number, but it’s concerning," Kennedy said, "so we’re focused on it."

The Red Sox play their first six games of the season on the road, against the lowly Rays and Marlins — a chance to win some games and stir up some interest. The home opener comes against the Rays on April 5.

“We’re [at about] 2.1 million tickets sold, that’s where we are right as of today,” Kennedy said. “It’s hard to know whether it’s a true indicator of demand being down, or, is it a pace of sale?”

A 6 percent drop means the Red Sox had roughly 2.2 million tickets sold at this time in 2017.

“I think this week will help, playing games in Florida and it’s still cold [up north],” Kennedy said. “And it was a slow offseason. Patriots, Celtics, Bruins -- there’s a lot of factors. I think it’s something we have to keep our eye on because it’s troubling any time you’re down at all.”