Los Angeles Dodgers TV ratings for their postseason run thus far have validated the buzz surrounding the team this year and excitement for matchups with the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.
Game 5 of the National League Division Series featured added intrigue with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish on the mound. They of course are two of the greatest pitchers to come out of Japan.
Yamamoto ultimately bested Darvish as he allowed just two hits over five scoreless innings. Darvish turned in a solid performance as well, giving up three runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings of work.
The matchup was the most-watched MLB postseason game in the history of Japan, with nearly 13 million people tuning in.
The Dodgers went on to eliminate the Mets in the NL Championship Series, which was a battle between teams from the two largest markets. The opener was the most-watched Game 1 of an LCS on any network since 2009.
Game 1 of the NLCS drew more than 8.4 million viewers, which was up 119% from last year’s Game 1 between the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. When taking into account TV ratings from Japan, Game 1 between the Dodgers and Mets drew more than 20.6 million average viewers.
Game 2 of the NLCS went on to draw more than 5.6 million viewers, which was the most-watched weekend afternoon LCS matchup on any network since 2013.
Average viewership in the NLCS was 5.348 million, making it the most-watched since 2017.
The upcoming World Series matchup between the Dodgers and New York Yankees figures to set viewing records as well, with both teams boasting two of the largest fanbases in all of sports.
Each of the Dodgers’ playoff games have aired on Fox or FS1. That’s going to continue with Fox being the exclusive home of the 2024 World Series.
Dave Roberts: Dodgers proved ‘how tough they are’
The Dodgers battling back to eliminate the Padres despite all of the adversity facing them did not go unnoticed by manager Dave Roberts. “I think they proved to themselves how tough they are,” Roberts said.
“I think that when you get in a position that we were in against a division rival, against a very talented team at that point, it turns into a street fight. It’s lose and go home, or you just fight like heck.
“And I think that that’s what got us over the top in the DS and also what bled into the fact it allowed us to finish these guys off in six games.”
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