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American sports fans for years have been watching baseball, a game with roots long-time ingrained in the country’s culture. Each year, the top teams in the MLB fight for the final trophy that every player is after, the World Series Championship. Since 1968, the World Series Finals we know and love have been broadcast across the globe, drawing in more and more viewers each year.
Every fan wants their team to claim the title, so these moments make for the most entertaining baseball you’ll ever see. In this article, we’ll highlight the top five most viewed World Series Finals by TV viewing figures in MLB history and what made these games so special for the onlookers based on the World Series ratings for each game.
Let’s take a look at the games that gripped the nation:
One interesting fact to kick off the top five World Series by viewing figures is that they all occurred from 1978-1982. Coming in at number five on the list is the 1979 World Series Game 7 match between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles. This game took place in Memorial Stadium, amassing over 38+ live watchers from all around.
The Orioles, having a 102-57 regular season record, were strong contenders and held a 1-0 lead by the top of the 6th inning. That is, until 1st baseman Willie Stargell made four crucial hits at bat, scoring one run for the Pirates. The game continued with heavy tension in the top of the 6th, where Pittsburgh would run home twice before winning 4-1 after getting two more runs in the top of the 9th, earning their 5th and most recent World Series title.
Another incredible Game 7 championship match between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals would take place in 1982 at Busch Stadium II, accumulating approximately 38.1 million viewers on live television.
The St. Louis Cardinals would narrowly hold a 1-0 lead by the top of the 5th inning, before Brewer’s 2nd baseman Jim Gantner would light the embers of a potential comeback, causing Miluwuakee to score three runs against the Cardinals by the bottom of the 6th inning. However, Cardinal’s left fielder Lonnie Smith would go on to run home twice throughout the game, and St.Louis would answer back with three more runs going into the 7th inning before ultimately sealing the game out with two more runs in the 8th.
This is the long-awaited rematch of a fierce rivalry from the 1978 World Series. In Game 6 of the 1981 World Series, the Yankees would taste defeat at the hands of the LA Dodgers. For this game, over a whopping 41.3 million viewers turned on the television to watch these two juggernauts clash in an epic rematch.
Both teams were tough contenders in this bout. The Dodgers entered the playoffs with a 63-47 record, similar to the Yankee’s 59-48. New York would string an earlier lead at the end of the 3rd inning, only to let up nine consecutive runs throughout the rest of the game, giving LA their 5th World Series title as well as revenge for the 1978 Championship loss to their long-time rivals.
This enticing 1980 World Series Game 6 between the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals is the 2nd most watched World Series Final by TV viewership, amassing around an astonishing 42.3 million live-viewers.
The Kansas City Royals’ regular season record ended at 97-65, similar to Philly’s 91-71 record, making this an extremely competitive conclusion to the 1980 baseball season. Philadelphia’s Lonnie Smith would lead the way with two runs, and the Phillies would go on to win their first-ever World Series trophy with a comfortable 4-1 scoreline.
As the most watched World Series Finals by TV viewing figures in all of baseball, Game 6 of the 1978 Championship between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers would go down as one of the most anticipated matchups ever recorded.
This was the third time the Yankees would be back-to-back champions, having crushed the Dodgers 8-4 in the 1977 series. Over 44.2 million live viewers would tune in to watch the oldest rivalries in American sports history take place. In the end, the Yankees would prove to be unbeatable, winning Game 6 of the series 7-2 and earning their 22nd overall World Series trophy.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.