The latest game of the Rangers/Yankees ALCS earned the second-largest cable audience ever for a Major League Baseball postseason game.
The Rangers’ Game 4 win over the Yankees drew a 6.3 U.S. rating and 9.846 million viewers on TBS Tuesday night, up a whopping 85% in ratings and 75% in viewership from Game 4 of last year’s NLCS on TBS* (LAD/PHI: 3.4, 5.644 mil), and up 66% and 72%, respectively, from Game 4 of the 2008 ALCS on TBS (BOS/TB: 3.8, 5.732 mil).
Game 4 of last year’s Yankees/Angels ALCS on FOX drew a 6.7 rating and 10.303 million viewers.
This marks the second-most viewed Major League Baseball postseason game ever on cable, behind only Red Sox/Rays Game 7 on TBS in 2008 (7.9, 13.357 mil).
The Rangers/Yankees series now accounts for three of the eight largest MLB postseason cable audiences ever. Overall, nine of the ten most-viewed postseason games ever on cable have aired on TBS.
Game 4 ranks as the third most-viewed non-NFL sports telecast on cable this year, behind only the Boise State/Virginia Tech college football game on Labor Day (9.888 mil, ESPN) and LeBron James‘ The Decision in July (9.948 mil, ESPN).
Tuesday’s game drew a higher rating and more viewers than Monday’s Titans/Jaguars NFL telecast on ESPN (6.2, 9.666 mil). This marks the first time this season that any cable program has attracted a higher audience than Monday Night Football.
Through four games, TBS is averaging a 5.0 U.S. rating and 8.018 million viewers for the Rangers/Yankees ALCS, up 46% in ratings and 44% in viewership from last year’s Phillies/Dodgers NLCS on the network (3.5, 5.569 mil).
10 Most Viewed MLB Postseason Games Ever on Cable
| # | Date | Game | Gm. # | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 10/19/08 | Red Sox 1 | 7 | TBS |
7.9
|
13,357
|
| Rays 3 | ||||||
| 2 | Tue., 10/19/10 | Rangers 10 | 4 | TBS |
6.3
|
9,846
|
| Yankees 3 | ||||||
| 3 | Mon., 10/8/07 | Indians 6 | 4 | TBS |
5.9
|
9,232
|
| Yankees 4 | ||||||
| 4 | Sat., 10/18/08 | Red Sox 4 | 6 | TBS |
5.4
|
8,928
|
| Rays 2 | ||||||
| 5 | Sun., 10/7/07 | Indians 4 | 3 | TBS |
5.4
|
8,460
|
| Yankees 8 | ||||||
| 6 | Mon., 10/18/10 | Rangers 8 | 3 | TBS |
5.2
|
8,214
|
| Yankees 0 | ||||||
| 7 | Fri., 10/3/03 | Braves 1 | 3 | ESPN |
5.4
|
8,126
|
| Cubs 3 | ||||||
| 8 | Fri., 10/15/10 | Yankees 6 | 1 | TBS |
5.0
|
8,111
|
| Rangers 5 | ||||||
| 9 | Wed., 10/21/09 | Dodgers 4 | 5 | TBS |
5.0
|
7,978
|
| Phillies 10 | ||||||
| 10 | Fri., 10/5/07 | Yankees 1 | 2 | TBS |
4.9
|
7,578
|
| Indians 2 |
* Last year’s Dodgers/Phillies Game 4 aired on a Monday night, opposite Monday Night Football.
(Turner Sports, TV By The Numbers)
