Baseball is Far From Dead After Ratings for World Series Game 1 Absolutely Crushed

For years, people have been saying endlessly that baseball is a dying game. Issues with pace of play, combined with the explosion in popularity of "quicker" games such as football and basketball, have led many to conclude that anyone who didn't grow up indoctrinated in the game of baseball will have trouble falling in love with it.

Well, tell that to the 14.2 million viewers who watched Game 1 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.

According to FOX, the game peaked at more than 14.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched telecast of the night. In Houston, the contest even ranked 19% better than Game 1 of the '17 series, the Astros' first World Series appearance since '05. It's clear that the city's love for the team has only developed further over the past two years, incredible news for a sport that's trying to grow the game and become must-watch TV regionally.

That's good news for MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who's really focused on increasing viewership in the midst of controversy surrounding a decline in attendance for MLB games.

This isn't the only time this postseason that FOX's MLB broadcast has made waves with their viewership, as Game 6 of the ALCS between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros delivered a peak viewership of 9.1 million viewers.

This just goes to show that baseball will continue to be America's Pastime, and that passionate regions will always be able to outweigh national interest, once the Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs are not involved.