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Dodgers Ratings Clash With Baseball Anger

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

Ohtani was born July 5, 1994, in Iwate Prefecture; sources list the city as Mizusawa or Ōshū. He is a two-way Dodgers star.

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.

Fact-check

VERIFIED 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.

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

Original post · Layla Ellie (@sagifario)

[wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShoheiOhtani); [baseball-reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml) NAMES: Shohe

VERIFIED TRUE

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.

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

Original post · gretz (@gretzbro)

Baseball-Reference.com NAMES: ALDS = American League Division Series; ALCS = American League Championship Series. POST news:8e2d0661c8ce31c3: NOCLAIM [espn.com]

Sources

What the hosts said

MDodgers bad for baseball? Then why do ratings spike when they play in October?
LIan Miller on X posted: "World Series ratings are 30% higher when the Dodgers play in it."
MThirty percent. That's a claim, not a verified number.
LWhat we know: last year's series pulled huge numbers in Japan because of Ohtani and Yamamoto.
MCNN said more than a tenth of Japan tuned in. That is not a dying sport.
LIt's not dying, but one team stacking three MVPs is bad for competition.
MOh, come on. The Yankees spent like that for decades and the sport survived.
LBecause the league had more parity before revenue sharing. Now the Dodgers have a huge payroll edge.
MAnd they built that through a massive fanbase and their own TV deal. That's sports.
LIt's not predictable to you? Opening Day feels decided before it starts.
MPredictable? They've made four World Series in eight years, not eight in eight.
LStill, small-market fans check out when the same team signs every free agent.
MThose fans weren't watching the World Series anyway unless their team was in it.
LThat's exactly my point! You need different teams in it to grow the game.
MNo, you need stars in it. Ohtani, Betts, Freeman— those are the draws.
LSo you're fine with the Dodgers buying every MVP until 2035?
MI'm fine with teams that spend to win instead of pocketing revenue sharing. That's the real problem.
LDon't make me defend owners. I hate owners. But the Dodgers have an unfair edge.
MUnfair? They drafted and developed half that roster. The money is part of it, not all of it.
LThe money is most of it.
MThe post has a point: the anger doesn't match the ratings.
LFine, I'll give the ratings, but I still don't like it.
MSpeaking of postseason dominance, gretz on X ranked the most dominant MLB postseason runs.
LTop two: 2005 White Sox at 11-1, then the 1999 Yankees at 11-1.
MThe White Sox lost only ALCS Game 1, swept the ALDS and World Series.
LThat '05 staff was stupid. Four straight complete games in the ALCS.
MI'll take that White Sox team over the '99 Yankees. The pitching was nastier.
LNo way. The '99 Yankees went through prime Pedro in the ALCS and still only lost once.
MThey lost Game 3 to Boston. That Pedro game was a classic, but they bounced back.
LStill, that Yankees lineup had Jeter, Bernie, O'Neill. The White Sox had... nobody on offense.
MThey had Konerko and Dye. The staff allowed nine runs all postseason.
LNine runs in twelve games? That's video game stuff.
MEleven-and-one is eleven-and-one. I don't care who the Yankees beat.
LOkay, you can have the 2005 White Sox. But the '99 Yankees played in the toughest AL East ever.
MThe 2005 Sox swept the defending champion Astros. They went through Boston and the Angels.
LFair. But I'd still put the '76 Reds and '86 Mets on that list.

Cite this story as https://oncast.fm/story/1793761371775-sports-segment-dodgers-ratings-clash-with-baseball-anger. Fact-check by Oncast. Cite the original sources above too.

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