{"id":"1793761371775-sports-segment","slug":"dodgers-ratings-clash-with-baseball-anger","title":"Dodgers Ratings Clash With Baseball Anger","summary":"Ohtani was born July 5, 1994, in Iwate Prefecture; sources list the city as Mizusawa or Ōshū. He is a two-way Dodgers star.\n\nThe first two entries check out: the 2005 White Sox went 11-1 in the postseason and lost only Game 1 of the ALCS to the Angels; the 1999 Yankees also went 11-1, with their only loss in the ALCS. This is an ESPN headline promoting a column about College Football Playoff rankings; it is not a factual claim to fact-check.","publishedAt":"2026-11-04T03:02:51.775Z","channel":{"id":"sports","name":"Oncast Sports","language":"en"},"show":"Primetime Sports","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: Ohtani was born July 5, 1994, in Iwate Prefecture; sources list the city as Mizusawa or Ōshū. He is a two-way Dodgers star.\nSource: [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShoheiOhtani); [baseball-reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml) NAMES: Shohe (https://x.com/sagifario/status/2116837685407166717)\n\nTRUE: The first two entries check out: the 2005 White Sox went 11-1 in the postseason and lost only Game 1 of the ALCS to the Angels; the 1999 Yankees also went 11-1, with their only loss in the ALCS. This is an ESPN headline promoting a column about College Football Playoff rankings; it is not a factual claim to fact-check.\nSource: Baseball-Reference.com NAMES: ALDS = American League Division Series; ALCS = American League Championship Series. POST news:8e2d0661c8ce31c3: NOCLAIM [espn.com] (https://x.com/gretzbro/status/2117751465309876649)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Ohtani was born July 5, 1994, in Iwate Prefecture; sources list the city as Mizusawa or Ōshū. He is a two-way Dodgers star.","sourceName":"[wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShoheiOhtani); [baseball-reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml) NAMES: Shohe","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/sagifario/status/2116837685407166717","claim":"Shohei Ohtani – The Greatest Two-Way Baseball Superstar Introduction Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball player widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary talents in baseball history. Born on July 5, 1994, in Ōshū, Japan, he is famous for his remarkable","author":"Layla Ellie (@sagifario)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"The first two entries check out: the 2005 White Sox went 11-1 in the postseason and lost only Game 1 of the ALCS to the Angels; the 1999 Yankees also went 11-1, with their only loss in the ALCS. This is an ESPN headline promoting a column about College Football Playoff rankings; it is not a factual claim to fact-check.","sourceName":"Baseball-Reference.com NAMES: ALDS = American League Division Series; ALCS = American League Championship Series. POST news:8e2d0661c8ce31c3: NOCLAIM [espn.com]","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/gretzbro/status/2117751465309876649","claim":"Top 10 Most Dominant MLB Postseason Runs Would you change anything? 1. 2005 White Sox — 11-1 Lost only ALCS Game 1 to the Angels. Swept the ALDS and World Series behind elite pitching. First title since 1917. 2. 1999 Yankees — 11-1 Swept the ALDS and World Series. Only","author":"gretz (@gretzbro)"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/sagifario/status/2116837685407166717","name":"[wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShoheiOhtani); [baseball-reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml) NAMES: Shohe","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Layla Ellie (@sagifario)"},{"url":"https://x.com/gretzbro/status/2117751465309876649","name":"Baseball-Reference.com NAMES: ALDS = American League Division Series; ALCS = American League Championship Series. POST news:8e2d0661c8ce31c3: NOCLAIM [espn.com]","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"gretz (@gretzbro)"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793761371775-sports-segment-dodgers-ratings-clash-with-baseball-anger","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/sports","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793761371775-sports-segment-dodgers-ratings-clash-with-baseball-anger","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793761371775-sports-segment-dodgers-ratings-clash-with-baseball-anger and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Marcus","text":"Dodgers bad for baseball? Then why do ratings spike when they play in October?"},{"host":"Liam","text":"Ian Miller on X posted: \"World Series ratings are 30% higher when the Dodgers play in it.\""},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Thirty percent. That's a claim, not a verified number."},{"host":"Liam","text":"What we know: last year's series pulled huge numbers in Japan because of Ohtani and Yamamoto."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"CNN said more than a tenth of Japan tuned in. That is not a dying sport."},{"host":"Liam","text":"It's not dying, but one team stacking three MVPs is bad for competition."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Oh, come on. The Yankees spent like that for decades and the sport survived."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Because the league had more parity before revenue sharing. Now the Dodgers have a huge payroll edge."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"And they built that through a massive fanbase and their own TV deal. That's sports."},{"host":"Liam","text":"It's not predictable to you? Opening Day feels decided before it starts."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Predictable? They've made four World Series in eight years, not eight in eight."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Still, small-market fans check out when the same team signs every free agent."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Those fans weren't watching the World Series anyway unless their team was in it."},{"host":"Liam","text":"That's exactly my point! You need different teams in it to grow the game."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"No, you need stars in it. Ohtani, Betts, Freeman— those are the draws."},{"host":"Liam","text":"So you're fine with the Dodgers buying every MVP until 2035?"},{"host":"Marcus","text":"I'm fine with teams that spend to win instead of pocketing revenue sharing. That's the real problem."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Don't make me defend owners. I hate owners. But the Dodgers have an unfair edge."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Unfair? They drafted and developed half that roster. The money is part of it, not all of it."},{"host":"Liam","text":"The money is most of it."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"The post has a point: the anger doesn't match the ratings."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Fine, I'll give the ratings, but I still don't like it."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Speaking of postseason dominance, gretz on X ranked the most dominant MLB postseason runs."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Top two: 2005 White Sox at 11-1, then the 1999 Yankees at 11-1."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"The White Sox lost only ALCS Game 1, swept the ALDS and World Series."},{"host":"Liam","text":"That '05 staff was stupid. Four straight complete games in the ALCS."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"I'll take that White Sox team over the '99 Yankees. The pitching was nastier."},{"host":"Liam","text":"No way. The '99 Yankees went through prime Pedro in the ALCS and still only lost once."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"They lost Game 3 to Boston. That Pedro game was a classic, but they bounced back."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Still, that Yankees lineup had Jeter, Bernie, O'Neill. The White Sox had... nobody on offense."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"They had Konerko and Dye. The staff allowed nine runs all postseason."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Nine runs in twelve games? That's video game stuff."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Eleven-and-one is eleven-and-one. I don't care who the Yankees beat."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Okay, you can have the 2005 White Sox. But the '99 Yankees played in the toughest AL East ever."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"The 2005 Sox swept the defending champion Astros. They went through Boston and the Angels."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Fair. But I'd still put the '76 Reds and '86 Mets on that list."}]}