• The Texas rangers bested the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings on Friday
  • Game 1’s viewership was lower than the 2020 World Series during the pandemic
  • DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

The 2023 World Series opened with an 11-inning thriller that saw the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.

But a close game that ultimately came down to Adolis Garcia hitting a walk-off home run was not seen by many as it became the least-watched World Series Game 1 on record, dating back to 1972.

Fox’s coverage of Friday’s game only drew 9.17 million viewers according to Sports Media Watch–a steep decline from last year’s 11.48 million. 

This ranks lower than Game 1 of the 2020 World Series between the LA Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays at the height of the pandemic. The ‘Bubble’ World Series opened to 9.35 million viewers before fluctuating and reaching 12.81 million for Game 6. 

The most-watched World Series opener since 2004’s Game 1 between the Red Sox and Cardinals, which garnered 23.16 million viewers, was 2016’s series between the Cubs and Guardians (19.37 million).

Adolis Garcia's walk-off home run lead the Rangers to a 6-5 win in Game 1 of the World Series

Adolis Garcia’s walk-off home run lead the Rangers to a 6-5 win in Game 1 of the World Series

Despite the drama of a close game, Friday had the least-watched Game 1 of the World Series

Despite the drama of a close game, Friday had the least-watched Game 1 of the World Series

Even the star-studded pregame show featuring Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Kevin Burkhardt could not help in generating views. 

The World Series struggles to attract audiences not only due to the lack star power but the teams’ subpar regular season performances. 

Arizona finished the regular season with an 84-78 record, while the Texas’ 90-72 just had the edge.  

The final two teams derailed a possible rematch between Tampa Bay and LA by eliminating the Rays and Dodgers in the postseason. They also prevented a World Series that would have starred Bryce Harper and the Phillies against Jose Altuve and the controversial Astros. 

The Diamondbacks tied the series on Saturday with the viewership numbers still pending. With Game 3 set to take place on Monday at 8PM ET, it will unfortunately have to compete with ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage for viewers. The NBA’s new season is also on the table with the Warriors, Bucks, Celtics and Heat all playing during prime time. 

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Post source: Daily mail

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