May 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) is greeted by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) after hitting a grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Yankees Draw Historic Viewership in Blowout Over Mets

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated May 20, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Plenty of eyes were on the New York Yankees as they disposed of the New York Mets with an 8-2 win in the finale of their three-game Subway Series battle this past Sunday.

As noted by ESPN's Buster Olney on Twitter, who was the sideline reporter for the game, the average viewership throughout the night sat at 2.54 million, making it the most-watched rendition of Sunday Night Baseball since August 2018.

Sunday's Mets-Yankees game averaged 2.54 million viewers, the most-watched SNB broadcast since August of 2018.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 20, 2025

The weekly primetime event, which debuted in 1990 and has become a staple of America's pastime, averaged 1.505 million viewers during the 2024 season, which was its highest mark since 2019.

Sunday Night Baseball has evidently grown in popularity even further during the current campaign, as a matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers on April 13 peaked at 2.445 million. 2025 is expected to be its last year on the air, however, as its TV deal with MLB will terminate once the season concludes.

No other iteration of the program had broken 2 million average viewers this year prior to the Yankees and Mets featuring on it, which speaks to both the popularity of the two franchises and the sheer size of their respective fan bases.

What began as a pitching duel between a pair of left-handed starters in Max Fried and David Peterson quickly devolved into a blowout for the Bronx Bombers in the penultimate inning.

With the clubs deadlocked at 2-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees thrashed Mets relievers Ryne Stanek and Genesis Cabrera en route to a six-running inning that was highlighted by a Cody Bellinger grand slam.

Of note, Juan Soto opted to not go forward with his scheduled in-game interview on the ESPN broadcast in the midst of a jeer-filled series for him in his return to the Bronx. Fellow Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo stepped up and filled in for him instead.

With their victory, the Yankees now sit at 27-19 and own a 4 1/2-game lead atop the AL East.

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