Yankees-Dodgers World Series features superstars and storied franchises in what could be a ratings bonanza

The 2024 World Series on FOX among the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers has the makings of being the highest-rated Fall Classic in years.

The Athletic and Forbes called it a “dream” matchup for FOX Sports, while Baseball America speculated that the World Series could surpass the NBA Finals in viewership.

World Series ratings have been trending downward in recent years in the era of streaming services and options beyond typical television fare, and the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks It was the lowest in history with an average of 9 million viewers.

But baseball fans have opted for matchups with intriguing storylines; For example, the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians had an average audience of 22.8 million as the Cubs won their first championship in over 100 years, and Game 7 had a whopping 40 million of spectators. That marked a big increase from the 2015 New York Mets-Kansas City Royals series (average viewership of 14.5 million).

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The 120th Fall Classic between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers begins Friday at 8:08 pm ET on FOX. (IMAGE/Getty Images)

The 120th Fall Classic comes on the heels of the National League Championship Series on FOX and FS1, which draws its largest audience since 2019.

The Yankees and Dodgers are not only two of baseball’s most historic franchises, but they also represent the largest cities in the country as well as both coasts of the United States. Their fan bases are spread across the country and the iconic Yankees pinstripes and Dodger blue are among the most recognizable sports looks in the world.

The Yankees have won a whopping 27 World Series titles, by far the most of any Major League Baseball team, and are making their 41st appearance in the Fall Classic. The Dodgers have won seven World Championships and are making their 22nd appearance overall. This is the twelfth time the two teams have met for the championship, but the first since 1981.

Yet despite their historic success, big-spending teams haven’t been playoff juggernauts this century, heightening the importance of winning it all for their demanding fans.

The Dodgers have been the most dominant team in the National League for more than a decade, winning 11 Western division championships in 12 seasons; The year they didn’t, in 2021, they won 106 games, the most ever by a team that didn’t capture a division title. But they’ve only won one World Series in that time, in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and haven’t won a World Series in a regular season since 1988.

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Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are two of the biggest stars in MLB. (IMAGE)

Meanwhile, the Yankees haven’t even been in the World Series in 15 years despite also being a playoff fixture at the time, which put additional pressure on coach Aaron Boone and his team to deliver this season. From 1998 to 2000, when they won three in a row, the Yankees have won only one World Series (2009).

And there’s plenty to feast on starting Friday for baseball fans who may not like the teams competing for the title, but can admire the talent on display.

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani He is assured of the National League Most Valuable Player award after hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases in one of the best individual seasons in history. Former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman hit right behind him.

The Yankees have slugger Aaron Judge, the American League’s most valuable player who led the majors in home runs (58), runs batted in (144) and on-base percentage (.458), among other categories, this season, as well as stars juan soto and Giancarlo Stanton, who was named MVP of their league championship series over Cleveland.

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FOX Sports’ coverage of the NLCS averaged 5.6 million viewers, a 20% increase from 2023.

Because the Dodgers had the better record in the regular season, the World Series begins Friday night at Dodger Stadium with Game 2 scheduled for Saturday, also in Los Angeles. The teams will travel back to New York for Game 3 on Monday, Game 4 on Tuesday and, if necessary, Game 5 on Wednesday from Yankee Stadium. If necessary, the series resumes with Game 6 next Friday and Game 7 next Saturday from Los Angeles. All games begin at 8:08 pm ET on FOX.

FOX’s main booth of Joe Davis and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz will call the series with reporters Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal set to contribute to coverage of the 120th Fall Classic.

Kevin Burkhardt will anchor the FOX MLB studio’s on-site coverage from Los Angeles and New York along with first-ballot Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and David Ortiz and World Series champion Alex Rodriguez.

FOX World Series coverage also includes custom FPV drones inside the field of play, new and improved referee cameras, multiple dirtcams buried in the field of play, 18 operated cameras, including 10 high-speed capture, and graphics Improved Swing Path and Pitch Trax.

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