The Big Lead

MLB Playoffs: Ratings breakthrough continues with Mets-Dodgers NLCS Game 1

By J.P. Hoornstra

Oct 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman (25) hits a single against the New York Mets in the eighth inning during game two of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
Oct 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman (25) hits a single against the New York Mets in the eighth inning during game two of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Mets National League Championship Series is a match made in ratings heaven: two storied franchises representing the two largest media markets in the county, each bringing a passionate fan base to the table.

Throw in the ratings momentum Major League Baseball enjoyed with the Division Series round, and the viewership numbers were predictably epic.

Fox Sports reported Tuesday that NLCS Game 1 on FOX delivered the most-watched Game 1 LCS ratings on any network since the Los Angeles Angels-New York Yankees ALCS Game 1 in 2009.

The baseball postseason has been a massive success for the league. TheDivision Series ratings were the best MLB has reported in seven years. Postseason viewership overall was already up 18 percent compared to 2023 before the Mets and Dodgers took the field Sunday.

The reasons are many: An alignment of geographical rivalries, star power, and four even Division Series matchups that yielded four 1-1 starts for the first time ever.

The Mets and Dodgers are now tied 1-1 as the series shifts to Queens for Game 3 on Wednesday. Another tense matchup between the big-market behemoths suggests more blockbuster ratings are in store.

It comes at a good time for MLB, which had seen a barrage of October upsets knock some of the best (and biggest-market) teams out of the postseason in recent years. The two lowest-rated games in World Series history took place last year, in Games 2 and 3 of the series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.

Cord-cutting is at least as responsible for that nugget of trivia than the participating teams. That's why it's been fascinating to see the confluence of large markets and name-brand stars elevate this year's postseason to pre-cord-cutting levels.

MLB can only hope it continues into the World Series.

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