Heading into the Midsummer Classic in Kansas City, the Blue Jays’ .500 record may not have been what they or their fans had hoped for.

But after the team took four days off for the all-star break, the club’s executives should at least be pleased by this year’s attendance figures, which are on pace to be among the highest in the last decade.

Through 42 home games this year, 1,107,908 paying customers have walked through the Rogers Centre’s turnstiles — 175,366 more than last year at this time.

The Jays surpassed the 1 million mark in their 37th game this year — the quickest they have reached the milestone since 1998 — and are on pace to crack the 2 million mark for the first time since eliminating $2 Tuesdays.

Merchandise sales, sponsorships and TV ratings are all up this season, as renewed interest in the club and its players has paid dividends for the organization and its owner, Rogers Communications, which also owns Sportsnet, holder of the team’s broadcasting rights.

“I feel like we’re in a very good place and we’re only building from here,” said Stephen Brooks, the Jays’ senior vice-president of business operations.

Certainly there was a greater energy and enthusiasm around the Jays to start this season than any other in recent memory.

Young and energetic, they were the trendy pre-season pick to be a dark-horse contender. The return to a popular throwback logo, attractive new uniforms and a highly marketable cast of on-field characters didn’t hurt either.

The Jays are still only 20th in league attendance, but it’s the highest they’ve been since 2008. They are averaging nearly 4,000 more spectators a game this year over last, and appear to be emerging from the apathetic depths of 2010, when they drew only 1,625,555 over the course of the season and barely more than 20,000 a game — the lowest attendance totals since 1982.

This year, by contrast, has seen a significant uptick in ticket sales and not just for opening day.

A single week in June had three games with more than 40,000 spectators: the June 13 matinee against the Washington Nationals featuring Cy Young candidate Stephen Strasburg; and back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Phillies the following weekend, including a sell-out on Father’s Day.

Beyond gate receipts, the Jays are seeing increased viewers on TV and radio, particularly in the prized 18-34 demographic, most notably among young women. Jays games are attracting nearly double the number of 18- to 34-year-old female viewers this year compared to two seasons ago (52,000 average viewers, compared to 27,000 in 2010), according to BBM Canada, which measures broadcast ratings for Canadian TV and radio. There is a 53 per cent boost across all demographics since 2010, from 389,000 average viewers to 597,000 this year.

But ultimately, whether those numbers can be sustained in the second half of the season will depend on how the team fares following the all-star break and whether or not they play meaningful games deep into the summer.

“Without a doubt, that’s what drives attendance,” Brooks said.

A lengthy losing streak in a soft baseball market like Toronto can be enough to curb fans’ enthusiasm, which can quickly turn to cynicism and then indifference.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos created something of a fan firestorm this off-season when he suggested the team would only go after big-name free agents when the team sold more tickets.

Team president Paul Beeston later clarified Anthopoulos’s comments, saying what the young GM really meant was that the team would have to first contend, which would in turn draw more fans, and the subsequent revenue increases would then lead to more spending when the post-season was within reach.

Jays fans appear to be doing their part — at least for now — and Anthopoulos said publicly this week that he remains in buying mode leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, despite his team’s litany of injuries.

The extra wild card added this season will also theoretically keep the Jays in contention longer than in previous years. Despite their mediocre record, they’re still just 2 ½ games back of a playoff spot.

“It’s added a whole new dynamic,” Brooks said of the extra wild card. “As we head into the second half, it’s going to be very exciting for baseball and very exciting for the Blue Jays.”

Jays’ attendance

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2012 vs. 2011*

*Through 42 home games

MLB 2012 attendance leaders

1. Philadelphia – 1,835,740 (41 games)

2. Texas – 1,824,782 (42 games)

3. New York Yankees – 1,731,631 (41 games)

4. St. Louis – 1,673,294 (40 games)

20. Toronto – 1,107,908 (42 games)

Jays’ average attendance last five years:

2012: 26,378 (20th)

2011: 22,446 (25th)

2010: 20,069 (26th)

2009: 23,162 (22nd)

2008: 29,635 (18th)