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TV watchers rate Lee-CC matchup high

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By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

10/29/09 3:13 PM EST

With two former Cy Young Award winners on the mound and the Yankees involved, millions of fans determined Game 1 of the World Series to be must-see TV.

And strong ratings bear that out.

The Phillies' 6-1 victory over the Yanks in Game 1 on Wednesday night pulled in a 11.9 fast national rating and a 19 share. According to the Associated Press, those numbers were a 29-percent rise from the opener of last year's Fall Classic, when the Phillies and Rays drew record-low ratings.

According to FOX, the ratings Wednesday night were the second-best for a Game 1 this decade, trailing only the first game of the Series between the Red Sox and Cardinals in 2004. The game in the Bronx also pulled in the best rating for a non-decisive World Series game since Game 3 in '04.

The Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2003, and their popularity was bound to result in an uptick in ratings. Game 1 also featured a showdown between 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia of the Yankees and 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee of the Phillies. It marked just the sixth time in history that two Cy Young Award winners squared off in a World Series matchup.

Ratings represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program, while shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.