2.7M viewers for Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese game blows past Yankees–Mets ratings despite Juan Soto’s comeback

Saturday marked the first chapter of the Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese matchup of the 2025 season. As expected, the highly anticipated matchup drew plenty of viewers. However, it might come as a surprise that this rivalry matchup averaged more viewers than Sunday's New York Mets vs. Yankees game.

Sunday's game, which marked Soto's return to Yankee Stadium since joining the Mets, averaged 2.5 million viewers. Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.7 million according to Joe Pompliano on X on Tuesday.

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The Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry predates their transition to professional basketball. In 2023, Reese's LSU Tigers faced Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes for the national championship. The Tigers won 102-85, denying Clark a college title.

The following year, Clark and Co. exacted revenge against LSU in the Elite Eight, 94-87, to prevent a Tigers repeat.

Since then, the two have been perceived as rivals and have even reignited the rivalry between the Sky and the Fever.

Also read: WNBA makes massive error with Caitlin Clark's name, leaving fans shocked

The latest chapter of the Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry reportedly peaked at over 3 million viewers

Aside from netting a higher viewership average than the Mets vs. Yankees game on Sunday, the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever matchup reached another milestone. According to the Pat McAfee on his show on Monday, the latest chapter in the Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry reached 3.1 million viewers.

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That game had plenty of moments for fans of either athlete or those locked in on their rivalry. Clark recorded her third career triple-double by logging 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Meanwhile, Reese recorded 17 boards to go along with 12 points, which marks her 27th career double-double.

Fans also got a taste of a tense moment between Clark and Reese. During the third quarter, Clark hit Reese with a hard foul on a shot attempt that sent the latter crashing to the floor. The Fever star was assessed with a flagrant one, while Reese was given a techical foul for her reaction.

However, both players downplayed the incident as a regular basketball play.

"Nothing malicious about it," Clark said in an in-game interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe. "It's just a take foul. Every basketball player knows that."

Reese also had a similar reaction when asked about it during the post-game press conference.

"Basketball play, refs got it right, move on," Reese said.

Fans will see more of Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese this season as they are set to face each other four more times.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos