Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck at Game 1

For Major League Baseball at Fenway Park in Boston, October 23rd, 2004 will go down as the most watched World Series Game 1 since 1999.

In fact, the FOX network telecast of Game 1 between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the combined average rating of the other three networks combined.

Game 1 of the 2004 Major League Baseball World Series delivered a 13.7/25 average household rating/share on Saturday night, making it the highest-rated World Series Game 1 since 1999 (14.2/26 NBC) and the highest-rated Game 1 ever on FOX, according to fast national ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

The average viewership for last night's Cardinals-Red Sox contest was 23,170,000, making it the most-viewed World Series Game 1 since the Braves-Yankees drew a slightly higher average audience of 23,690,000 viewers in 1996.

The FOX World Series Game 1 telecast beat the combined average household ratings for the other three broadcast networks by 15 percent (CBS 4.7/8; ABC 4.0/7; NBC 3.2/6), while the 8.0 average rating for adults 18-49 in Game 1 was 40 percent higher than the combined average rating for the other three networks in that demo (ABC 2.2/7; CBS 1.9/6; NBC 1.6/5).

Last night's 13.7 household rating tops all Saturday night telecasts from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and marks the highest-rated Saturday night on network TV since January 2004.

Through last night, MLB postseason coverage has helped FOX to nine primetime wins since October 5.

The Game 1 13.7 average rating was +26 percent vs. Game 1 in 2003; +46 percent vs. Game 1 in 2002, +32 percent vs. Game 1 in 2001, and +19 percent vs. Game 1 in 2000.

In specific demographic categories, last night's telecast also was +49 percent in Male Teens, +38 percent in Women 18-49, +28 percent in Women 18-34 and +25 percent in Men 18-34 vs. Game 1 in 2003.

Just goes to prove that the Boston Red Sox Nation is truly a nation of fans, as I'm sure is the case with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful living with 23,169,998 other baseball fans -- including Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King

Affleck No Longer Alias To Marriage: Ben Marries Jennifer Garner in Top-Secret Caribbean Wedding