ESPN Sets Wild Card Mark With 5.59 Million for NL Game

By ( Broadcasting & Cable ) published

ESPN returned to playoff baseball for the first time since 2006 by setting the viewership record for the three-year-old Wild Card round.

The San Francisco Giants’ 8-0 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday drew 5.59 million viewers to ESPN, up 22% over last year’s NL Wild Card game. It was also up 8% over the much-closer AL Wild Card game on Tuesday.

The MLB Playoffs move on to the Divisional Series round, to air across TBS, MLB Network and Fox Sports 1 beginning Thursday.

(Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)