Phillies tickets: Big day is Thursday

Get ready, Phillies fans, if you want to buy tickets directly from the club.

In the next 48 hours, thousands of seats will disappear, and some games at Citizens Bank Park may no longer be available.

After all, the team has sold out its last 204 home dates.

Today's the last day to buy a three-game deal that includes a Fireworks Night (June 25 or 26), Fan Appreciation Night (Sept. 27), or a choice summmer weekend game (June 2 or 23, July 7 or 21, Aug. 4 or 11). Already sold out are the Three Game Packs with Mother's Day (May 13), Father's Day (June 3) and bobblehead giveaways honoring pitcher Cliff Lee (June 4) and outfielder Hunter Pence (Aug. 21).

Thursday at 8:30 a.m., single-game tickets finally go on sale. Fans will have three ways to purchase: online through www.phillies.com, by calling 215-463-1000, or at the ticket windows on the west side of the ballpark.

Maximum: Eight per game. Prices range from $17 for standing room and $20 for the cheapest seats to $53 each, as available.

Exhibition games against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 1 and 2, already on sale, cost $10 to $35.

Expect ballgirls and the Phanatic to show up at the park before tickets go on sale Thursday morning. The Majestic Clubhouse Store, next to the west ticket windows, will open at 7 a.m., offering discounted merchandise and some free refreshments.

Four dates won't be part of the sale at all: Opening Day (April 9) and three games against the Boston Red Sox (May 18-20). They are available in several ways, however. First, there are multigame "packs" or deals. Opening Day and the May 18 and 20 Boston games were still included this morning in Six Game Packs that have been on sale for weeks. (The May 19 package sold out.) On Thursday, the May 18 Red Sox will be shifted to a Three Game Pack, while the May 20 game will end its multi-game run.

Second, there's a lottery called a Ticket Purchase Opportunity. Register online at http://atmlb.com/xA58Jj by Feb. 24 for Opening Day, by March 2 for all three Boston games.

Also, a few hours before every home game, the Phillies will again put about 500 standing-room tickets on sale at the ballpark.

Each year, at least a few games sell out on the first day of single-game sales. Looks like Mother's Day, Father's Day and the bobblehead games might be first to go - even by lunchtime.

The Fireworks Nights go fast as well, said John Weber, vice president for sales and ticket operations.

"They may not go in the first day, but they won't last very long," he said.

Although the team has already sold about 3 million tickets through full and partial season-ticket plans, plus the six- and three-game "packs," many remain.

"We still have 680,000 tickets to sell," Weber said. "So we still have a lot of inventory to sell."

Know, though, that even when a date seems to sell out, sometimes fans can get a second chance. Visiting clubs, in the days before a game, will occasionally release tickets back to the Phillies, and some could become available through Phillies.com.