LOS ANGELES -- The fans came out in droves at the Dodger Stadium parking lot Saturday morning to get individual game tickets when they went on sale at 9:30 a.m. PT.

They were not disappointed because the ticket lottery system used by the Dodgers leveled the field and gave everyone a chance to get the coveted Opening Day tickets. Elizabeth Hugrta of Maywood, Calif., was the first number drawn.

"I couldn't believe it, I didn't think I would win," said Hugrta, holding her 2-year-old sister, Itzel. "We waited three hours before they let us in, but I got the four Opening Day tickets I wanted, so it's great."

Ticket Day has evolved over the years. The thousands of fans who showed up were entertained with game booths and trivia contests, where the winners were given bobblehead dolls and tickets to games. There were food booths and a carnival atmosphere.

"I think this is great," said Valerie Cadena, holding a bunch of tickets and showing off a very expensive Dodgers jacket with patches showing all the team's championship years running down each sleeve. "I got nine games, four for Opening Day, in the loge and reserve levels, the Nomar Bobblehead game, two fleece blanket games and the fan vote Bobblehead game."

Cadena was also impressed with the way the lottery worked.

"I was in line for 20 minutes," said the Whittier resident. "The number they picked was 1149, I was 1179. I got in quick and I was amazed. I was in line for two hours last year. I'm happy. I can go home and go back to sleep. I got up at 5:30 this morning."

"We did pretty good today," said Frank from El Monte. "I spent about an hour on the street and an hour in line, and I got my four tickets for Opening Day, which is what I wanted. There's nothing like Opening Day here. This is my first time coming here to get tickets on this ticket day, and it worked out great."

The turnout and comments like that from the fans bring a smile to the Dodgers brass.

"This is a great crowd, it's one of the biggest crowds we've had in years," said Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer Marty Greenspun. "There was an excess of 4,000 people here by 9:30 this morning. The lottery system is working and it shows that the fans didn't have to rush down here to get tickets. It's a fair system for everyone, and for the fans who were not fortunate enough to get Opening Day tickets, there are still Mini Plans available that have Opening Day included. They can buy them on Dodgers.com or by calling 1-866-DODGERS."

The Dodgers set a franchise attendance record last year when they drew 3,758,421 fans. Greenspun believes the 4 million plateau will happen in the near future.

"Our goal is 4 million fans. I think we're within reach of it," said Greenspun. "I don't know if we'll hit it this year, but we definitely will in future years, and today's crowd is a good step in the right direction."