Yu Darvish’s much-anticipated major league debut on Monday against the Seattle Mariners set the Rangers’ all-time television ratings record on FOX Sports Southwest and was the No. 1 program of the night in Dallas-Fort Worth. The game averaged a 10.7 rating and 17 share, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
It also was the highest-rated telecast ever on FOX Sports Southwest in Dallas-Fort Worth, shattering the previous record of 9.3 for a Rangers-Yankees telecast on Aug. 11, 2010.
An average of 274,100 homes in Dallas-Fort Worth watched the Japanese right-hander overcome a shaky start to post his first big league win. The telecast peaked with a 12.2 rating/19 share and averaged an audience of 314,000 homes from 8:45-9:15 p.m.
The game was the most-watched program of the night in Dallas-Fort Worth, finishing ahead of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (10.4 rating/266,390 homes).
For the season, Rangers games on FOX Sports Southwest are averaging an 8.0 rating, a 106 percent increase over last year’s final season average. The Rangers also set an Opening Day record on FOX Sports Southwest with a 6.5 rating for their game on Friday against the Chicago White Sox.
