Fox finished with 18.9 million viewers on Sunday night for the Astros' 10-inning win over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The game peaked at 20.7 million viewers between 11:45pm-12:00am ET and ranks as the second-most-viewed World Series Game 5 since '03. Sunday night was down from last year's Cubs-Indians Game 5 (23.6 million), but up from Royals-Mets in '15 (17.2 million) and Giants-Royals in '14 (12.6 million). To this point, Astros-Dodgers is averaging 16.4 million viewers on Fox, the World Series' second-best five-game start since Phillies-Yankees in '09 (19.3 million last year for Cubs-Indians). Meanwhile, Game 5 on Sunday drew 172,000 streaming viewers on Fox Sports Go, making it the app's seventh-best event ever (Josh Carpenter, Assistant Editor). With viewership peaking between 11:00pm and midnight, ESPN's Mike Golic said MLB is "maximizing the amount of eyes" on its product, which turns "into advertising dollars." Golic said if the games started earlier in the day, as proposed by some, less people "would watch and you're not going to sell nearly the amount" of ad space ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 10/31).
WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY: In L.A., Chris Erskine notes Fox has "done a largely commendable job on this historic and hysterical series." Joe Buck is "good," and John Smoltz is a "likable analyst, with superior pitching insights in a series where the decomposition of both staffs is a major plot." Fox has also had an "engaging studio show." It "hasn’t missed a step with the departure of Pete Rose." Former MLBer David Ortiz has "become the Shaq of baseball, a real character who adds a sly sense of fun." On two fronts, Fox’ coverage "seems open to the constant second-guessing that is so prevalent in baseball." The net’s replay work "has been stellar, but like many production teams, they just can’t seem to be ahead of the game on where defenses are set." Fox' graphics team "could also do better, with more data on the cumulative damage to both pitching staffs" (L.A. TIMES, 10/31).
ONE OF THE GREATS: MLB.com's Joe Posnanski writes people "don't know how it will end," but this is "already turning into one of the most amazing Fall Classics in baseball history." MLB has "been on a remarkable run of World Series lately." This World Series "just might be shaping up as the best of them all" (MLB.com, 10/31). In Detroit, Nolan Finley writes baseball is "making a comeback as America's National Pastime." Perhaps some of the increase in interest can be "attributed to what’s going" in the NFL, where on field athletic performances have been "overshadowed" by the national anthem controversy. Baseball has been "relatively free of such drama." It has also been "spared the highly choreographed hot-doggery now rampant in the NFL." For the most part, professionalism "still reigns on the baseball field" (DETROIT NEWS, 10/31). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Costa & Diamond write the Dodgers and Astros have "combined for 22 home runs, a World Series record." Nine of them have "come in the ninth inning or later, also an all-time high, making this one of the most frenetic series ever played." It is a "perfect representation of baseball" in '17, "delightful for middling hitters and completely depressing for many pitchers." At some point, MLB will "likely need to take stock of this World Series." For now, though, the league "finds itself in an enviable position" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/31). In S.F., John Shea writes this is "shaping up to be the best World Series since ... 2016." People "love to use the 'best ever' tag in the heat of the moment." Shea: "Let's exhale, soak in what we've witnessed and let the thing unfold" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/31).
