Ratings off to a good start

Saturday night's Game 1 World Series telecast returned a 13.7 national rating (25 share), the highest number for a Game 1 since the 1999 opener of the Yankees-Braves Series delivered a 14.2 (26 share) on NBC. It was the highest-rated World Series Game 1 for Fox since it began broadcasting baseball in 1996 (NBC retained the Series in 1997 and '99 in an alternate-year arrangement).

In Boston, the Game 1 telecast did a 44.3 rating (72 share), considered an outstanding number for a Saturday night. The only Sox telecasts to top it this fall were Games 5 (47.0 rating), 6 (49.8), and 7 (56.6) of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees, all on weekday nights. The Boston audience peaked at a 47.9 rating (74 share) from 10-10:15 p.m. In St. Louis, Saturday's game did a comparable 42.3 rating (68 share).

Last year's Game 1 between the Yankees and Marlins did a 10.9 rating and 20 share, and the 2002 Game 1 between the Angels and Giants did a 9.4 (18). Those games also were on Saturday nights.

BILL GRIFFITH