Game 7 Sets Viewer Record for Baseball and, Except in Washington, Routs Football

Game 7 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets was the most-viewed baseball game in history, eclipsing the final game of the 1980 World Series between Philadelphia and Kansas City, NBC said Tuesday.

The 1986 World Series went up against “Monday Night Football” on ABC, and NBC said the World Series handed the weekly TV football game its lowest rating ever: an 8.8 with a 14 share.

The matchup presented a predicament for New York sports viewers, with the football Giants playing the Washington Redskins while the Mets were playing the Red Sox.

In Washington, however, the audience forsook the baseball championship for the Redskins.

NBC research estimated that 1986’s Game 7 was seen in 34 million homes, while the sixth and deciding game of the 1980 series was seen in an estimated 32 million homes.