The presence of Cardinals fan favorite Albert Pujols in this week’s Home Run Derby and All-Star Game helped drive St. Louis to the top rating in the nation for the telecast of both events.
Pujols, who has said he is retiring at season’s end, made it to the second round of Monday’s Derby then pinch-hit in the game Tuesday night, both at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
But it’s not like St. Louis needed an extra boost to juice its television ratings for either of Major League Baseball’s marquee summer events.
The Gateway City has been the showcase market for Fox (KTVI, Channel 2 locally) in the network’s All-Star telecasts over the last two decades. St. Louis now has led the way nationally in ratings for nine of the last 20 editions of the Midsummer Classic and finished second for five others. That’s a whopping 70% of the time with a first- or second-place standing. There also were two third places and nothing lower than eighth — out of the 56 cities surveyed nationally by Nielsen.
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The St. Louis viewership has not been as strong for the Derby, all shown on ESPN/ESPN2. But that is relative, and overall the results are impressive. There have been four No. 1 ratings in those 20 years, and 15 top-10s. There is nothing lower than 22nd and St. Louis has been in the top 13 for 19 of the last 20 Derby telecasts.
All-Star Game, Home Run Derby by the numbers
Ratings in recent years for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby nationally and in St. Louis, according to Nielsen, with where STL ranked nationally among the 56 major markets:
| Year | All-Star National Ratings | All-Star St. Louis Ratings | Derby National Ratings | Derby St. Louis Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.2 | 10.4 (1) | 3.6 | 10.2 (1) |
| 2021 | 4.5 | 8.7 (6) | 3.8 | 6.3 (11) |
| 2020 | No Game (COVID-19) | |||
| 2019 | 6.2 | 8.2 (8) | 4.5 | 4.3 (22) |
| 2018 | 6.5 | 10.6 (2) | 4.4 | 4.9 (12) |
| 2017 | 6.5 | 12.1 (2) | 5.5 | 6.0 (13) |
| 2016 | 6.4 | 10.4 (2) | 3.2 | 6.5 (5) |
| 2015 | 7.7 | 17.9 (3) | 4.2 | 11.3 (2) |
| 2014 | 7.9 | 14.3 (3) | 3.4 | 5.8 (5) |
| 2013 | 8.1 | 16.4 (2) | 4.1 | 7.4 (5) |
| 2012 | 8.1 | 20.5 (1) | 4.2 | 8.4 (4) |
| 2011 | 7.9 | 17.8 (1) | 4.0 | 7.8 (4) |
| 2010 | 9.1 | 20.5 (1) | 4.0 | 10.2 (1) |
| 2009 | 10.4 | 37.0 (1)* | 5.1 | 18.9 (1)* |
| 2008 | 11.0 | 20.3 (1) | 5.5 | 7.7 (9) |
| 2007 | 9.9 | 18.9 (1) | 4.3 | 10.9 (1) |
| 2006 | 10.6 | 20.7 (2) | 4.4 | 8.1 (5) |
| 2005 | 9.8 | 23.3 (1) | 4.1 | 8.0 (5) |
| 2004 | 10.2 | 18.8 (1) | 4.7 | 6.1 (13) |
| 2003 | 11.1 | 22.5 (1) | 3.5 | 8.1 (2) |
| 2002 | 11.4 | 15.4 (6) | 5.0 | 7.5 (7) |
- Notes • All-Star Games on Fox (KTVI, Channel 2 locally), home run contests on ESPN/ESPN2. The rating is the percent of homes with a TV tuning in. (2009 events held in St. Louis).
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