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LOS ANGELES — Texas’ extra-inning comeback victory over Arizona on Friday night was the least-watched Game 1 in World Series TV history.

The Rangers’ 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks in 11 innings averaged 9.35 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox’s streaming service. The previous low was 9.48 for the opening game in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. That game was played during the pandemic, coincidentally in Arlington, Texas.

According to Nielsen, Fox averaged 9.17 million for the game telecast. It is only the sixth World Series game that didn’t attract at least 10 million viewers. The others were the first four games in 2020 and Game 3 in 2008 between Tampa Bay and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Average viewer ratings have been calculated since at least 1969.

The viewership for Friday’s game declined 20% compared to the 11.48 million who watched last year’s first game between the Phillies and Houston Astros.

The news has to be a bit of a disappointment for baseball after it had its most-watched league championship series round since 2018. Buoyed by a pair of Game 7s for the first time in a full season since 2004, overall postseason ratings were up 7% compared to last year.

The World Series was the most-watched event on television Friday night by a significant margin. An episode of “The Price is Right” averaged 3.01 million.

The least-watched World Series game remains Game 3 in 2020, which averaged 8.34 million.

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With Rutschman out, O’s lose Handley in collision

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With Rutschman out, O's lose Handley in collision

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman will be out through the All-Star break, and the team lost another catcher when Maverick Handley left Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the second inning following a collision at the plate with Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Rutschman suffered a left oblique strain that landed him on the injured list for the first time in his career. Interim manager Tony Mansolino described Rutschman’s injury as “mild” but added that the team doesn’t want to do anything to aggravate the problem and keep the two-time All-Star out longer.

Mansolino said Rutschman will be out through the All-Star break, which is July 14-17, before the Orioles return to play at the Tampa Bay Rays on July 18.

“He’s dealt with it fine,” Mansolino said. “He wants to play. He’s kind of going stir crazy. I think the fact that it is mild in nature probably makes it a little harder for him. We all know abdominal and oblique injuries, if you push those things, they can get really ugly, and instead of being three or four weeks, it could be three months.

“… In his mind he probably thinks he can possibly go out there, but obviously, we know medically that’s not the smart thing to do for him right now.”

Rutschman began feeling pain Friday during batting practice before he was scratched from that day’s lineup then placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday after undergoing an MRI.

With two outs in the second Sunday, DJ LeMahieu lined a single to left field and Chisholm scored from second base. Colton Cowser‘s throw was up the third-base line. Handley moved to his left for the throw, arriving for the ball at the same time as Chisholm. The Yankees third baseman tried to veer to the inside to avoid contact, but his elbow appeared to hit Handley in the head.

After Mansolino and trainer Scott Barringer checked him out, Handley was replaced by Gary Sanchez.

“He got hit pretty hard,” Orioles manager Tony Mansolino was quoted as saying by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. “We haven’t seen a collision like that at the plate, probably, since all the new rules came in. So we’re evaluating him right now, full body, every part of it. We’ll have more information tomorrow. … We’re evaluating everything right now, so nothing official on concussion protocol. There’s obviously a chance that that happens. We’ll have more information tomorrow on him.”

Infielder Jordan Westburg will also be out for at least a few days because of a sprained left index finger sustained even though he wore a sliding mitt.

Westburg injured his finger while stealing second base in Saturday’s 9-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

“Actually the sliding mitt that’s supposed to protect his hand, that’s the one that he did it,” Mansolino said. “Doesn’t know how he did it. It’s been the same mitt that he’s used for a couple years, talking about it this morning. Kind of crazy that he hurt his finger. That’s what those things are for.”

Mansolino said X-rays were negative and that the Orioles are hoping that Westburg misses only two or three days.

Rutschman, 27, is hitting .227 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games this season. He has been among the more durable catchers in the majors. After playing 113 games following his debut in May 2022, he appeared in 154 games in 2023 and 148 last season.

Westburg missed more than a month with a left hamstring strain before returning June 10. The 26-year-old is hitting .229 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games this season. He had 10 hits in his first 25 at-bats before going hitless in his next 14.

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle (strained right hamstring) also is on the injured list along with outfielders Tyler O’Neill (left shoulder impingement) and Jorge Mateo (left shoulder inflammation).

Right-hander Yennier Cano was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after striking out the side in the seventh inning Saturday, and right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo was recalled from the Tides on Sunday.

“It starts ultimately with the amount of innings that we’ve had covered here recently with the bullpen,” Mansolino said. “We need a fresh arm. You have a limited amount of bullpen guys that have options.”

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.

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Red Sox put Dobbins on IL with strained elbow

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Red Sox put Dobbins on IL with strained elbow

SAN FRANCISCO — Right-hander Hunter Dobbins was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday by the Boston Red Sox with a strained pitching elbow.

The move for Dobbins is retroactive to Saturday.

He is 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA over 12 appearances and 10 starts this year. He started Friday’s series opener at San Francisco and issued five walks and four earned runs over four innings.

To fill his roster spot, Boston recalled right-hander Richard Fitts from Triple-A Worcester.

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Scherzer (thumb) to come off IL, start on Wed.

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Scherzer (thumb) to come off IL, start on Wed.

TORONTO — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to start for Toronto at Cleveland on Wednesday, manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays’ 4-2 loss to the White Sox on Sunday.

“He’s ready to go,” Schneider said of Scherzer, adding that the veteran right-hander will likely be capable of throwing as many as 90 pitches.

Scherzer was declared ready to return after throwing between 30 and 40 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday morning.

“Really, really excited to have him back,” Schneider said. “That’s a huge, huge, obviously, addition to us. It’s Max Scherzer. I’ll take that any day of the week.”

At Columbus on Wednesday, Scherzer gave up two runs, struck out four and walked none over 4⅓ innings in the second of two rehab starts for Triple-A Buffalo.

The previous Friday, Scherzer struck out eight in 4⅓ scoreless innings for the Bisons in a home start against Worcester.

The 40-year-old Scherzer signed a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays in February. He left his Toronto debut against Baltimore on March 29 after three innings because of soreness in his right lat muscle. The next day, Toronto put Scherzer on the injured list because of inflammation in his thumb.

Scherzer has had two cortisone injections this season to relieve inflammation in his troublesome thumb. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list last month but became eligible to return May 29.

He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. Scherzer said earlier this season that his sore thumb, which also impacted his 2022 and 2023 seasons, was also an issue in 2024.

Scherzer won World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. He won his first Cy Young Award after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit in 2013. The eight-time All-Star earned consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with the Nationals in 2016 and 2017.

Scherzer has a career record of 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 467 games, including 458 starts. He has 3,408 strikeouts in 2,881 innings.

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