The star-studded Yankees and Dodgers colliding in the World Series was supposed to deliver a thrilling best-of-seven finale to the MLB season, and thats exactly what happened in Game 1 with . That hype combined with the viewership potential that New York and Los Angeles provided translated to Foxs television ratings, too. Game 1 collected 15.2 million viewers Friday night peaking at 17.8 million viewers starting at 11:30 p.m. during the , making it the most-watched World Series opener since the 2017 showdown between Los Angeles and the Astros and reflecting 62 percent increase in Game 1 audience from last years Fall Cla sic between the Diamondbacks and the Rangers, . Shohei Ohtani hits a double during the Dodgers Game 1 win on Oct. 25. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Joe Davis, pictured earlier this season, called Game 1 of the World Series for Fox. Getty Images The Yankees-Dodgers audience was greeted with a thrilling finish for Game 1, too. Explore More After the Yankees took a one-run lead in the 10th inning, Jake Cousins walked Gavin Lux before Tommy Edman reached on an infield single, prompting Yankees manager Aaron Boone to insert Nestor Cortes a starter who hasnt pitched in a game since Jerome Robinson Jersey Sept. 18 while recovering from a left elbow flexor strain to face left-handed hitter Shohei Ohtani. Follow The Posts coverage of the Yankees in the postseason: Cortes retired Ohtani, courtesy of a highlight-reel catch from Alex Verdugo, but after Boone opted to intentionally walk Mookie Betts, Freeman connected on Cortes next pitch and sent it 409 feet over the right-field fence to secure the win. That , who reference longtime Dodgers voice Vin Scully and his call of with a she is gone line as the ball cleared the wall before adding, Gibby, meet Freddie as Freeman neared first base. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Its not the first instance of strong viewership this postseason, as the Mets and the Brewers when Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to save the Mets postseason run by averaging 4.017 million viewers and hitting a maximum of 5.745 million. MLB has experienced a league-wide bump in ratings this postseason acro s the first three rounds, too, . The Dodgers will look to take a 2-0 advantage in the Fall Cla sic when Yoshinobu Yamamoto the Japanese ace in his first MLB season who has allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out 10 acro s his last two playoff starts attempts to out-duel Carlos Rodon, who has likewise been strong for the Yankees during his second and third starts of the postseason. Johnathan Williams Jersey