The Big Lead

World Series news: Yankees-Dodgers Game 3 boasts big ratings for Fox Sports

By J.P. Hoornstra

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; The New York Yankees dugout during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; The New York Yankees dugout during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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From a gameplay standpoint, Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers was the biggest dud of the series to date.

Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run three batters in to the first inning. The lead never changed hands again. The Yankees managed to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle in the ninth inning, but that was as close as they got in a 4-2 loss.

Yet even a bad World Series game managed to deliver good news for Fox Sports and MLB from a ratings standpoint. Monday's Game 3 averaged 13.2 million viewers, a 63 percent ratings boost compared to Game 3 of the 2023 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.

That's consistent with the 65 percent boost seen in Game 2 and the 62 percent boost from Game 1. According to Fox, Game 3 was the network's most-watched Monday prime time telecast since Game 5 of the 2013 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

The idea that baseball plays better in traditional baseball hotbeds isn't new. But Monday's ratings are further proof that big stars on big teams can deliver (relatively) big ratings well into the cord-cutting era. Through Game 3, the series is averaging 14.4 million viewers across all network platforms, the best for a World Series since the Dodgers-Astros tilt in 2017.

The Japanese ratings for the World Series have outpaced even the domestic ratings, adding more meaning to the matchup than the Yankee and Dodger brands. Shohei Ohtani's last game of the 2024 season might be Game 4 on Tuesday, if the Dodgers are able to complete the sweep — a moment whose significance will not be lost on his homeland.

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