Yankees-Red Sox Gives Boost To TBS' LDS Audience Figures

The Red Sox’ 6-5 win on Friday at Fenway Park averaged 5.6 million viewers on TBSGETTY IMAGES

The opening games of the Yankees-Red Sox ALDS easily led all postseason games over the weekend, with Friday night marking the most-viewed MLB LDS Game 1 since Cubs-Giants in ‘16. The Red Sox’ 6-5 win on Friday averaged 5.6 million viewers on TBS, while FS1 in ’16 drew 5.7 million viewers for the Cubs-Giants opener. Friday night’s game is TBS’ best LDS Game 1 since Yankees-Twins drew 6.9 million viewers in ’10 on a Wednesday night. Saturday night’s Game 2 drew 5.1 million viewers. Meanwhile, MLB Network drew 2.1 million viewers on Thursday night for the Dodgers' 6-0 win over the Braves, up from just under 2 million viewers for the net’s Astros-Red Sox ALDS opener last year. Braves-Dodgers Game 1 also is MLB Net’s third-best game audience on record (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

UPS & DOWNS FOR COSTAS: In Milwaukee, JR Radcliffe noted MLB Net's Bob Costas and Jim Kaat during Brewers-Rockies NLDS Game 3 yesterday had a "rough time with the Brewers names and facts." Brewers 3B Travis Shaw has not committed double-digit errors -- as the broadcast suggested -- since "picking up playing time at second base around the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline." He has "committed one in 39 games." Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar is "not Jesus Aguilera" and manager Craig Counsell was not drafted by the Brewers, as the "broadcast said a couple times." The broadcast also had "some trouble" with P Wade Miley's biography, as he "didn't actually start the season at Double-A" (JSONLINE.com, 10/7). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Phil Mushnick noted Costas, who also called Braves-Dodgers NLDS Game 1 on Thursday, "soon reminded" viewers that he "remains what he always was: someone with too much regard for baseball to lie for it." Early in the telecast, Costas said that "though it’s still early in L.A., this playoff game is well attended but well short of a sellout" (N.Y. POST, 10/7).

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: In Cleveland, Marc Bona wrote during Indians-Astros ALDS Game 2 on TBS, there should have been "more close-up images, dugout shots and the like." TBS has "too many camera-shaking shots on transitions to the stands." Meanwhile, analyst Dennis Eckersley is "great at picking up pitches, and replays show the spin on the ball, but he lets the excitement of the moment get too much of him on occasion." TBS' graphic in the upper left corner of the screen also "did not consistently show who the batter was" as the net "emphasized the pitcher's pitch count but showed the batter's name only in the first pitch of the at-bat." Down on the field, reporter Hazel Mae's role has been "relegated to the obligatory in-game managerial interviews" (CLEVELAND.com, 10/6).

THAT'S A WRAP: MLB RSN ratings were down 2% during the '18 regular season. SBJ this week takes an in-depth look at the numbers. Top and bottom performers are in the charts below (THE DAILY).

Download the MLB Regular Season Local Ratings