Major League Baseball Ratings, Attendance Way Up In 2025, As Momentum Continues

Well, it's safe to say that Major League Baseball's decision to introduce the pitch clock and speed up the pace of play has been an enormous success. 

After implementing the pitch clock, making the bases bigger, and preventing overshifting, fan interest in baseball has exploded in growth. Average game times dropped from over three hours to around two and a half hours. But even more importantly, that two and half hours is now packed with action, where pitches come every 10-15 seconds, there are fewer stoppages, timeouts, and mound visits to slow down momentum. 

And with the 2025 regular season now completed and more data available, it's clear that those changes have paid off in a big way. Television ratings, in-person attendance, international interest; all of it has grown dramatically. That's a great sign for the sport, for the teams, and for the commissioner's office.

The league's PR department announced that ratings in 2025 were up across all television partners:

• FOX +9%
• FS1 +10%
• ESPN +21%
• TBS +29%
• MLB Network +13%
• NHK +20%
• MLB TV +34%

That's a big deal, and could be huge dividends moving forward. As could the significant rise in attendance for a number of key teams, particularly the New York Mets.

Jun 17, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with teammates after a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

MLB Can Boost Momentum Moving Forward

Beyond the ratings, a number of teams saw significant increases in fan attendance in 2025 compared to the 2024 season. The Mets, after signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto, saw the biggest jump. But the San Francisco Giants, surprising Detroit Tigers, AL East winning Toronto Blue Jays, and both World Series teams also saw improvements.

• New York Mets: +34.9%; +10,291 per game
• Detroit Tigers: +25.1%; +5,971 per game
• San Francisco Giants: +9.1%; +3,025 per game
• Toronto Blue Jays: +6.3%; +2,083 per game
• Cincinnati Reds: +7.9%; +1,978 per game
• Boston Red Sox: +4.4%; +1,439 per game
• Milwaukee Brewers: +4.5%; +1,394 per game
• Kansas City Royals: +6.8%; +1,387 per game
• Chicago Cubs: +3.7%; +1,337 per game
• San Diego Padres: +3.2%; +1,317 per game
• Los Angeles Dodgers: +1.8%; +879 per game
• Miami Marlins: +6.3%; +851 per game
• Arizona Diamondbacks: +2.2%; +643 per game
• New York Yankees: +1.2%; +512 per game

Despite two teams moving into minor league-level facilities, the Tampa Bay Rays and Athletics, overall league attendance grew for the third consecutive season. 

It's obvious what leads to more fans in seats: success and signing players. The Mets went for it in 2025, unsuccessfully, but for fans, seeing that they were committed to building the best possible team was enough to warrant more ticket buying. The Tigers, too, had demonstrated to fans that they were going to be competitive in 2025. San Francisco traded for Rafael Devers. For the Dodgers and Yankees, it's difficult to improve on their already stellar attendance. But making, in New York's case, or winning the championship, in LA's case, and continuing to sign players like Max Fried and Blake Snell, added another 153,000 fans between the two teams. 

There's a clear lesson here for owners and the league; encourage spending more money. And more money is already on the table thanks to better attendance. More ratings, more attendance, more interest will lead to higher television fees when the league is able to sell all of its rights in 2028. Trying to win pays off, even if you don't. And eventually, a good enough roster will make the playoffs and grab more fans. Too bad nobody in leadership at Pittsburgh or Miami seems to care.