The NLCS starts on Friday. The ALCS starts on Saturday. And honestly, the matchups in each series couldn't have worked out better for MLB.
Consider this: the Detroit Tigers had the best local ratings this year among all MLB teams, drawing a 9.59 average rating on Fox Sports Detroit. The number two team locally? The St Louis Cardinals, who drew an 8.83 average rating on Fox Sports Midwest. You can go ahead and throw in the Boston Red Sox to that batch too, who finished fifth in MLB this year with a 7.30 local rating on NESN.
Then, there are the Dodgers. Los Angeles didn't rank in the top five in local ratings this season, though their numbers did jump by 40.5% up to 2.74. Considering the size of the LA market, that's a more than solid number for the team. All four remaining Postseason teams also saw their ratings jump by a minimum of 5% this season, with the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Dodgers all increasing by double digits.
Of the four markets left, the smallest is St Louis, which is ranked 21st nationally according to Nielsen. There may not have been any teams from New York or Chicago in the Postseason this year, but considering the regional footprint of the Red Sox and Cardinals, MLB must be giddy about the four teams that are left. An A's-Rays ALCS is probably something that wake up Bud Selig in a cold sweat, but Red Sox-Tigers? Go ahead and start printing that money.
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About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.