ATLANTA (AP) — Extra innings boosted viewership for the American League wild-card game.
The Kansas City Royals’ comeback 9-8 win in 12 innings over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday averaged more than 5.2 million viewers on TBS. The network said Wednesday that’s up 14 percent from the nearly 4.6 million for last year’s NL game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to open the postseason, a 6-2 Pirates win.
On Tuesday, the Royals trailed 7-3 after seven innings, but they scored three times in the eighth, tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, then rallied again from down a run in the 12th.
Viewership peaked at 6.5 million from 11:30-11:45 p.m. EDT during the ninth inning.