MLB Field of Dreams ratings: Game at 16-year high

Nearly six million viewers tuned into Major League Baseball’s “Field of Dreams” game in the sport’s largest regular season audience since 2005.

Thursday’s Yankees-White Sox “Field of Dreams” game from Dyersville, Iowa — the site where the 1989 film “Field of Dreams” was filmed — averaged a 3.2 rating and 5.87 million viewers on FOX (5.90M including Fox Deportes), marking the largest regular season baseball audience on any network since 2005.

Chicago’s walk-off win, which peaked with 6.09 million from 8:45-9 PM ET, more-than-doubled this year’s previous season-high of 2.68 million for a regional window featuring Red Sox-Yankees on FOX in June.

By comparison, the opening game of last year’s months-delayed season — which was baseball’s most-watched regular season game in nine years at the time — averaged 4.01 million.

Chicago was the top market for Thursday’s game with a whopping 11.2 rating and 25 share, meaning that 25% of televisions in use in the nation’s #3 market were tuned to the game in the average minute. New York City ranked second at a 6.6/14, followed by St. Louis (6.0/13), Kansas City and Hartford (both 5.6/12).

The “Field of Dreams” game averaged more viewers than all-but-one of last year’s MLB Postseason games prior to the World Series, trailing only a Braves-Dodgers NLCS Game 7 that aired on both FOX and FS1 and had an NFL lead-in (9.66M). While unusually strong for a regular season game, it was no match for last month’s All-Star festivities; the Home Run Derby averaged 7.13 million on ESPN and ESPN2 and the All-Star Game itself 8.24 million on FOX.

Compared to other sports, “Field of Dreams” outdrew all-but-one NBA regular season game last season, trailing Mavericks-Lakers on Christmas (7.01M), and all-but-two playoff games prior to the NBA Finals (Bucks-Nets Game 7: 6.91M; Hawks-Sixers Game 7: 6.16M).

In another example of the NFL’s power, it was not as big a draw as the previous week’s preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game, which also aired on FOX and faced the Summer Olympics (7.31M).

The game averaged a 1.5 rating in adults 18-49.

[Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 8.13, Fox Sports]

Ratings: Olympics wrap, MLB-ABC, racing, golf

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

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Comments 6

Jorge says:

5 years ago

Fed up with baseball still being compared to football.
Peter says:

5 years ago

Baseball resurgence lets gooo
Esl says:

5 years ago

Great numbers for baseball. 2 questions.
1. Do you know what the last game in 2005 was that had the higher viewership? Was it a Yankees-Red Sox game? I think Fox may have done a prime time Yankee-Red Sox game around that time.
2. Do you see MLB trying different venues? I know they are doing another Field of Dreams game next year. But that will definitely get tired quickly if same venue every year.
- Paulsen says:
  
  5 years ago
  
  I believe it was Yankees-Red Sox. I do think MLB will try different venues after a few years. Maybe even after next year. A lot of opportunities are available if they get creative.
Jeff says:

5 years ago

I am going to go out on a limb and say we have not seen the last “Field of Dreams” game. Kidding aside, MLB and it’s TV partners will likely come up with more unique settings for games in the future. Count on it.
- Paulsen says:
  
  5 years ago
  
  MLB is better suited to it than other leagues because the venues matter so much in baseball. Winter Classic ran out of steam after about 4-5 years, but if you’re MLB you’ll gladly take a guaranteed ratings pop for half-a-decade.