Field of Dreams Game becomes most-watched regular-season baseball game in 16 years
The Yankees' Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Chicago White Sox in the third inning during the FIeld of Dreams Game on Thursday in Dyersville, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
MLB and Fox built it, and viewers came.
Thursday night’s "Field of Dreams" game between the Yankees and White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa, was the most-watched regular-season baseball game on any network in 16 years, according to Nielsen via Fox, with an average of 5,903,000 viewers on Fox and Fox Deportes.
The thriller, in which the White Sox won, 9-8, with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, attracted a peak audience of about 6,094,000 from 8:45 to 9 p.m.
It was the highest average audience for a regular-season game since a Yankees-Red Sox game on Oct. 1, 2005. Fox said it was the most-watched regular-season game among women and girls since 1998.
It also was the most-streamed regular- season game in Fox history.
Chicago and New York topped individual markets in ratings, with Chicago averaging 11.2% of homes and New York averaging 6.6%. St. Louis was third at 6.0%.
The game, played in an eastern Iowa cornfield, was an homage to the 1989 film "Field of Dreams." Major League Baseball plans to stage another such game next summer.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
More sports media
