Major League Baseball hopes to build ratings momentum going into the World Series with a strong performance from TBS’s telecast of the deciding Game 7 of the National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

With both the Diamondbacks-Phillies series and the American League Championship series between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros having gone to a deciding Game 7, baseball hopes to salvage a lackluster ratings performance so far in the playoffs. 

Fox and FS1's October 23 Rangers-Astros Game 7 telecast averaged 6.77 million viewers, topping only the 2020 Astros-Tampa Bay Rays Game 7 as the least-watched LCS Game 7 on record, according to SportsMedia Watch. Overall, the series averaged 5 million viewers, down from last year's four-game Astros-Yankees series on TBS, but the most watched LCS on Fox and FS1 since 2019's Astros-Yankees series, according to Nielsen numbers provided by Fox Sports. 

Fox’s October 15 Rangers-Astros Game 1 was the most-watched game of the series with 7.05 million viewers. 

TBS's October 23 Diamondbacks-Phillies Game 6 afternoon telecast averaged 4.6 million viewers, according to SportsMedia Watch. With tonight's Game 7 still to be played, TBS’s October 20 Phillies-Diamondbacks Game 4 is currently the most-watched game of the series with 5.39 million viewers, according to SportsMedia Watch.

Total viewing for the opening Wild Card rounds across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 were down 18%, according to Nielsen data, with the four two-game sweeps averaging 2.25 million viewers vs. 2.73 million last season. 

The Division Series round on Fox/FS1 and TBS — where none of the four series went to a fifth and deciding game — averaged 3.13 million viewers, down 8% from last year (3.40 million), according to Nielsen.

Peacock will step to the plate in 2023 with the second season of its Sunday morning MLB Sunday Leadoff baseball package beginning April 23.

The 19-game package launches with the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Colorado Rockies, said the streaming service. NBC Sports will offer pre- and post-game shows for each live Peacock game. 

The MLB Sunday Leadoff package will feature six games starting at 11:30 am, 10 games at 12:05 pm and three games at 1:05, and will feature exclusive live MLB action until 1:35 pm each Sunday, according to the streaming service.

Also: YouTube TV Drops MLB Network

Peacock in 2022 launched its inaugural 18-game baseball schedule, joining Apple TV Plus as streaming services offering a live package of Major League Baseball games. 

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Major League Baseball and build upon last season’s MLB Sunday Leadoff success,” NBC Sports President of Programming Rick Cordella said in a statement. “The exclusive presentation of MLB games in a unique Sunday morning time slot, which caters to baseball fans and families alike, continue to make Peacock the go-to streaming destination for sports fans.”

Peacock’s 2023 MLB Sunday Leadoff lineup of games is as follows:

Major League baseball took the first hit to its regular season start on Monday as two games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Florida Marlins’ July 27 home opener against the Orioles was postponed after at least 14 Marlins players and staff tested positive for the virus, according to reports.

 The Marlins played a weekend series in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The team currently remains in its Philadelphia hotel pending further tests.

RELATED: Marlins Game Canceled as Players Test Positive 

Monday night's New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies game was also postponed after the league decided not to bring another club into the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park following the Marlins, according to reports.

The news puts a damper on an otherwise successful start of the season for baseball. Thursday night’s opening game between the Yankees and the Washington Nationals set a record ratings record for ESPN, averaging 4 million viewers. 

Mike Schmidt, who struck 408 doubles during his Hall of Fame career with the club, will double down on his broadcasting duties with the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2015 season.

Following the success of "Sundays with Schmidt" during the 2014 campaign, rights-holder Comcast SportNet Philadelphia will add the former third baseman to its telecast team for Saturday home games.

Brian Monihan, Comcast SportsNet president and general manager, said Schmidt will join Tom McCarthy, Matt Stairs, Ben Davis and Gregg Murphy for 26 broadcasts in 2015, doubling his 13 telecasts from last season.

Schmidt’s first Saturday duties will come April 11 when the Phillies take on the Washington Nationals at 7 p.m. on The Comcast Network. He will also be in the booth when the Phillies wrap up their weekend series with the NL East favorites the following day  at 1:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Philly.

“Last season viewers welcomed Mike into their homes with open arms, as he shared his insight and knowledge of the game he loves,” said Monihan.  “We were thrilled when he agreed to join us for more games in 2015, and look forward to him once again sharing the booth with Tom, Matt, and our newest broadcaster Ben Davis.”

In 2015, Comcast SportsNet will air a record 142 regular season games, with The Comcast Network airing seven.  All contests airing on those services will feature Phillies Pregame Live and Phillies Postgame Live programming.

NBC10 will air a dozen games in 2015, including the season opener against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, April 6 at 3 p.m.