The defending champion Cubs began the new season as they ended the last one, albeit on a smaller scale.
Cubs-Cardinals scored a 2.3 overnight rating in Sunday’s Major League Baseball Opening Night on ESPN, up 10% from Mets-Royals last year and Cubs-Cardinals on ESPN2 in 2015 (2.1 both years).
The Cubs’ loss, which peaked at a 2.6 overnight at 8:45 and 9:15 PM ET, delivered the highest Opening Night rating in the metered markets since Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN2 in 2010 (2.4).
Locally, Sunday’s game scored a 20.1 rating in St. Louis — the market’s highest on record for a regular season game on ESPN. Chicago turned in an 8.4, its top regular season rating on ESPN since 2008. When the Cardinals and Cubs last met on Opening Night two years ago, the game had a 17.7 in St. Louis and a 7.6 in Chicago.
(Sun. numbers from ESPN)
