World Series etc. open thread
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It’s a lot more fun to be cheering for the Blue Jays offense than against it, I’ll tell you that. It’s also much better to see the baffling bullpen management coming from the team you’re cheering against.
One thing worth noting here is what a massive deal the Blue Jays playoff run has been in Canada:
Fox Sports said late Wednesday that its viewership for the ALCS, a seven-game thriller won by the Blue Jays over the Mariners, averaged 4.99 million viewers, essentially flat from last year despite only having one local U.S. market measured by Nielsen in the 2025 matchup. In the U.S., Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday averaged 9.03 million viewers, making it the most-watched ALCS game on any network since Game 7 in 2017 between the Yankees and Astros.
More historic figures, however, were posted north of the border as Canada’s Sportsnet averaged 6 million viewers for the Blue Jays’ clinching Game 7 win on Monday. The figure marked the network’s largest telecast of the team ever, and it surpassed a record that had stood since the 2015 ALCS. That audience represented about 15% of the entire Canadian population, a level of penetration seen in the U.S. only for the later rounds of the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl.
When combining the two countries, the blended average of 9.39 million viewers of the ALCS beat last year’s figure by 60%, though the Blue Jays were not involved then.
The Stanley Cup finals, featuring the sport’s biggest star on a Canadian team, averaged “only” 4.4 million Canadian viewers. They’ve been a national team post-Expos but I suspect that Trump 2.0 is also playing a role, and the World Series numbers are going to be insane. Especially if Toronto keeps playing like they are tonight. Get out the mustard and rye bread!
ADDISON BARGER
PINCH-HIT
GRAND SLAM#WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/REg58MNosp— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2025