Blue Jays games drawing big television audiences on both sides of the border

The Toronto Blue Jays have realized the Canadian dream: They've managed to draw attention from Americans.

The team's impressive run to its first division title in 22 years has been drawing record ratings in Canada -- and broke another one this week as it became the most-watched series in Sportsnet's history.

But the Jays managed to attract some big audiences on U.S networks, too. Of course, most of those tuning in were probably more interested in their opponents, the New York Yankees.

Wednesday's game, a 4-0 Toronto victory over the Yankees, scored a 0.8 overnight rating on ESPN -- well above the network's season average of 0.5 for its Wednesday Night Baseball package. (A cable rating point in the U.S. translates into about 1.1 million viewers, meaning Wednesday's game was watched by about 900,000 people on ESPN.) It was also double what ESPN drew for a comparable game between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals last season (0.4).

ESPN managed its big number despite the fact its broadcast was blocked in the Yankees' broadcast area, which is controlled by the YES Network.

On Tuesday, the Jays gave the YES Network its largest audience of the season. That game, won 6-4 by the Yankees, was watched by 456,000 viewers. The audience peaked at 682,000.

That was YES's largest audience since Derek Jeter's final home game in October, 2012.

Wednesday's ratings were a bit off that number, but still strong at 421,000 viewers.

Of course, the Jays didn't do this alone. The fact that their opponents were the Yankees, probably still America's team, played a large role in matters.

In spite of the Yankee factor, this week's ratings might have U.S. networks breathing a little easier as they contemplate the possibility of a Canadian team making it to the World Series. Traditional wisdom is that small-market teams don't draw big ratings and that foreign teams attract even smaller ones.

But that ``wisdom" isn't always so wise. The last time the Jays were in the World Series in 1993, their games against the Philadelphia Phillies averaged 24.7 million viewers in the U.S., comparable to the 1996 series between the big-market Yankees and Atlanta Braves.

The 1992 Jays-Braves series averaged 30 million viewers, down about 5 million from the 1991 final between Minnesota and Atlanta.

Of course, today's ratings pale in comparison to that era. Last year's World Series between San Francisco and Kansas City averaged a paltry 13.8 million viewers in the U.S.

There are no concerns about the Jays not drawing well in Canada. The three-game series with the Yankees averaged 1.9 million viewers a game to set a Sportsnet record.

The high point came Tuesday with an average of 2.04 million viewers, with the audience peaking at 3.46 million.

Sportsnet has averaged 1.6 million for its Jays broadcasts this month, bringing the season average to 933,000, a 59 per cent increase year to date and the highest in Sportsnet's 17-year history.

And the playoffs are yet to come.