ESPN continues to tout significant increase in ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ ratings

If the 2025 season is really the end of MLB on ESPN and the network’s longstanding staple, Sunday Night Baseball, the relationship is ending on a high note.

One week after the World Series rematch between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers drew an average of 2.7 million viewers and a high of 3.1 million for Sunday Night Baseball‘s highest rating in seven years, ESPN reported that the Sunday, June 8 between the Boston Red Sox and Yankees drew 1.9 million viewers on average and peaked at 2.2 million.

While that might be a significant drop from the previous week, there is considerable context. Sunday night’s Red Sox vs. Yankees game aired directly against Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Saturday’s game between the Red Sox and Yankees, which aired on Fox, was MLB’s most-watched regular season game since 2022.

Additionally, Alex Feuz of ESPN noted that “Viewership for the Red Sox vs. Yankees game broadcast was up 28 percent from last year’s Sunday Night Baseball season average” and that overall, Sunday Night Baseball viewership is up 12 percent from a season ago.

The next Sunday Night Baseball game will feature another one of the sport’s longest-running rivalries, with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the San Francisco Giants on Father’s Day, June 15. That game will have no competition from either the NBA Finals or the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final.