The second iteration of Major League Baseball’s Wild Card Series was a stronger ratings draw than the first version two years ago.
The four Major League Baseball Wild Card Series averaged 2.8 million viewers across the ESPN family of networks, up 64% from two years ago, the only other time the Wild Card round has consisted of multiple best-of-three series (1.7M). Keep in mind that the Wild Card round two years ago included twice as many series, with more than half the games starting during the workday (to say nothing of the unprecedented competition).
The three-game Padres-Mets series was the most-watched with an average of 3.7 million viewers and the three-largest audiences of the round. Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 3 on ESPN, which aired opposite NBC’s Sunday Night Football, topped the charts at a 2.1 rating and 3.96 million viewers — peaking at 4.73 million from 8-8:15 PM ET.
Game 2, which overlapped with a competing Phillies-Cardinals game on ESPN2, averaged a 1.8 and 3.54 million on Saturday night. The Phillies-Cardinals game drew a 1.3 and 2.52 million, with the combined audience peaking at 6.44 million at 10:30 PM ET.
Figures for all three Friday games on ESPN are subject to revision due to a Nielsen processing error, but as of now, Game 1 averaged 3.54 million viewers.
Outside of Padres-Mets, the top draw of the Wild Card round was Friday’s Phillies-Cardinals Game 1 on ABC at 1.8 and 3.12 million, peaking at 4.58 million at 5:15 PM ET.
Shifting to the American League, the Mariners’ comeback win over the Blue Jays averaged a 1.4 and 2.64 million on ESPN Saturday afternoon, overlapping with the 15-inning Rays-Guardians marathon at a 1.3 and 2.27 million on ESPN2.
Game 1 of those series averaged 1.83 and 1.77 million viewers respectively on Friday (pending revision).
As one would expect, no game of the best-of-three Wild Card series came close to last year’s single-elimination Wild Card games — Yankees-Red Sox at a 4.5 and north of 7.6 million on ESPN and Cardinals-Dodgers at a 3.7 and north of 6.6 million on TBS.
(Nielsen estimates from ESPN PR, ShowBuzz Daily 10.11)
