From the Associated Press, via MSNBC.com:
St. Louis’ 1-0 victory over Philadelphia in Game 5 of the NL division series Friday night received a 5.1 rating and was seen by 8,389,000 viewers on TBS, a National League record for first-round games on cable.
For reference, the NLDS Game 5 played between the Diamondbacks and Brewers at 4:05 p.m. ET drew a 3.0 rating and was seen by 4,592,000 viewers.
The numbers aren’t surprising. Philadelphia is a major media market and the Cardinals have a wide-ranging following. Milwaukee, on the other hand, is baseball’s smallest market and the Snakes are still working on cultivating a dedicated fan base. Add to that the different start times and it all makes plenty of sense.
It’s doubtful that the NLCS between the Cards and Brewers will be a major ratings hit -- and the same goes for the ALCS -- but more of the same would surely be satisfactory in the eyes of Major League Baseball.