The World Baseball Classic Final had it all.
A pitcher’s duel. A game-tying home run. A clutch response.
It all made for a historic night on FOX, with Tuesday night’s game drawing over 10.78 million viewers, making it the most-watched WBC telecast on any network in the history of the tournament.
The viewership for Tuesday’s final broke the previous record, which was set during Sunday’s semifinal game between team USA and the Dominican Republic.
Venezuela beat team USA 3-2, scoring the decisive run in the top of the ninth inning when Eugenio Suarez’s double scored Javier Sanoja. Viewership peaked in those final innings, reaching over 12 million viewers.
Team USA met that moment, its bats waking up as Bryce Harper launched a two-run home run to straightaway center field. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to reclaim the WBC title, as relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock conceded that run in the top of the ninth and the U.S. couldn’t answer.
