Fox Gets Huge Rating Number For Mets/Dodgers

It's not exactly rocket science, but it turns out that baseball fans and casual observers really like big-market postseason matchups. That's exactly what Major League Baseball lucked into with the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.

Over the last few years, MLB's chase for more television revenue has created mostly disappointing national postseason series. The inherent randomness of baseball, close margins between the two teams and no inherent advantages for better regular season teams have created uncertainty in late playoff rounds. But in a year when mediocrity has become the story of the playoffs, the Dodgers and Mets have provided a sigh of relief for the league and its broadcast partners.

READ: American League Playoffs Are A Joke

Game 1 between the Dodgers and Mets drew nearly 8.5 million viewers, a massive number considering it was up against Sunday Night Football. Viewership peaked at nearly 10.1 million viewers, up 119% from Diamondbacks-Phillies in 2023. According to Fox Sports, it was the most watched LCS Game 1 in 15 years. 

And with Game 2 knotting the series at one apiece, those ratings might increase as a now-tight series progresses.

Los Angeles, CA - October 14:   Shohei Ohtani #17 reacts as teammate Tommy Edman (not pictured) of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a RBI single against the New York Mets inning of game 2 of a National League Championship Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Monday, October 14, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Dodgers-Mets Gives Huge Ratings Win For MLB

The reasons for this ratings surge are multifaceted. MLB's rule changes to speed up the game and pace-of play have been extremely effective at keeping fans and bringing in new ones.

Obviously the biggest factor is that the Dodgers and Mets play in the two biggest television markets in the country, and bring large, dedicated fan bases with them. There's also the star power factor: Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor are two of the biggest names in baseball, and the likely 1-2 in the NL MVP race.

Pete Alonso and Mookie Betts are also two of the rare MLB players to have some level of general awareness outside of die-hard baseball fans.

Baseball and Fox can now dream of how massive the World Series would be if the Yankees advance over the Guardians. With either a cross-town New York matchup or another historic Dodgers-Yankees series, ratings would once again likely set recent records.

Instead of Tigers-Padres, the league could get Ohtani-Judge. That's a dream come true to bring in outside viewers.