PHILADELPHIA – Got stubs?

Never before has there been such a frenzied market for World Series ticket stubs – strips of paper usually relegated to scrap books or picture frames after the last out.

But with Game 5 suspended in the sixth inning with Philadelphia and Tampa Bay tied 2-all, ticketholders know those tattered, drenched stubs have plenty of value left.

Within hours of the announcement that the game would resume Wednesday night, buyers and sellers began flocking to Web sites looking to buy or sell tickets for anywhere between $200 and $7,500.

Fans in this title-starved city – none of the four major professional teams has won a championship in 25 years – long for a chance to see the Phillies, who lead the Series 3-1, clinch the second championship title in team history.

Sean McWilliams was looking to finagle five tickets for $200 apiece or less to take his wife, parents and sister. He knew it was a long shot but couldn’t afford more: The Columbia, Md., resident is doing postdoctoral work at NASA while paying off student loans and two mortgages – his sister recently lost her job.

“I’m hoping someone who can’t go due to travel, work, etc. will sell me theirs for a reasonable price,” the Philadelphia-area native wrote in a post on Craigslist, one of hundreds of similar posts.

On StubHub.com, 50 tickets were available for resale Tuesday afternoon, said corporate communications manager Joellen Ferrer.

Prices ranged from $599 to $3,500 on the Web site, which resells tickets through an agreement with Major League Baseball.

McWilliams isn’t the only one desperate to get to the game. Many posts made emotional appeals for tickets, as buyers hoped sentimentality would trump greed.

“I was fortunate enough to be at the final game of the 1980 World Series,” a potential buyer wrote on Craigslist. “I now have a son ten years old and would love for him to experience it too.”

Sellers seemed to have the upper hand as they sought to unload stubs.

One person on Craigslist said he just couldn’t get away with leaving work early again for tickets.

“I was able to get out of work one day; I’m not trying to push my luck,” said Ed Pettola, 25, a financial adviser from northeast Philadelphia.

He originally tried selling his stub for $700. When he reduced it to $600, he was flooded with calls.

“I’d like to make a little penny off of it,” he said.

And many were prepared to pay plenty of pennies for a chance to see history.

Josh Wolf wasn’t alive for the Phillies World Series win in 1980 and, at 25, also missed the town’s last big title, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 1983 NBA championship.

“Desperately want to see Game 5 finale,” he wrote in a post seeking stubs on Craigslist. “I am willing to go alone and get rained on for the third time in 4 days. I was in the parking lot all night last night with the raucous crowd, and I’d love to be part of the action.”

While eagerly awaiting his own ticket, the financial adviser marveled at how much people were looking to pay, especially in tough economic times.

“The economy is bad but people are still willing to pay thousands of dollars for a baseball game. That’s incredible,” he said. “Money comes and goes. This kind of experience is once in a lifetime.”