People view the video game on tv at Atlas Brew Works – Street Brewery and Tap Room throughout the house opener of the Washington Nationals versus the New York Yankees at Nationals Park on Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Salwan Georges | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Major League Baseball began its Covid-19 routine season Thursday night with a record average 4 million audiences, the most-watched regular-season MLB video game on any network given that 2011, according to ESPN, which aired the opener.
The New York Yankees beat the Washington Nationals, 4-1, in MLB’s 2020 Opening Day on ESPN. New Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, who signed a $324 million offer last December, made his very first triumph for the group.
According to ESPN, the telecast was up “232% from last year’s Opening Night telecast between the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners,” which drew 1.2 million audiences. The video game peaked at 4.4 million audiences around 8: 30 p.m.
“It also generated a 7.8 rating in the New York market, making it the highest-rated regular season MLB game on ESPN in the market since 2015,” ESPN stated.
Also, the network’s 2nd video game, in between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, produced approximately 2.7 million audiences, making it “ESPN’s most-watched MLB regular season late night ET game ever.”
MLB resumes its Opening Day contests Friday with 14 video games on the schedule.
Correction: This story has actually been upgraded to show that Major League Baseball has 14 video games set up for Friday.
