A busy day at Phillies' box office

A long line of Phillies fans was waiting when the ticket windows at Citizens Bank Park opened yesterday morning, the first day single-game tickets went on sale. Some fans had been waiting since Wednesday afternoon.

More than 70,000 tickets were sold yesterday, and 3.1 million have been sold for the 2012 season. The team's sellout streak, which stands at 204 games, does not figure to end any time soon.

On Day 1 last year, the Phillies also sold more than 70,000 tickets and said the total for the season was 3.3 million. The Phillies ended up setting a franchise attendance record with 3,680,718, the most in baseball.

"We're in great shape,'' said John Weber, the Phillies' vice president, ticket sales and operations. "Our goal is to sell every game out and we think we have a good opportunity to do that . . . We are very, very close in terms of ticket sales . We're looking forward to the season and hopefully we'll get to that 3.6 million.''

Weber described the fan support as "unbelievable'' and said he thought there were 100 to 150 more people at the ballpark when the ticket windows opened this year compared to last year.

"The key for us is to make sure our fans know we still have tickets available and that we encourage them to purchase them,'' he said.

The Phillies have only 10 home games in April, compared to 17 last year. April is traditionally the "biggest challenge'' and fewer April dates means more home games when the weather gets warmer.

Tickets are available online 24 hours a day at phillies.com, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling 215-463-1000, or in person at the first-base ticket windows from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.