Fox's 14.1 rating was off 16 percent from NBC's coverage of the seven-game series between Florida and Cleveland last year and was 14 percent lower than the previous record low, 16.4, set in earthquake-interrupted series of 1989. A ratings point represents 994,000 households.

Wednesday night's Game 4 posted a 16.6 rating, 7 percent higher than last year but still the third lowest prime-time fourth game.

Last year's series was on target to be the lowest ever until a highly-rated seventh game. Fox never had the benefit of a drama-building long series and ended up losing an estimated $15 million because of the sweep. The network needed a five-game series to break even.

The overnight rating for Game 4 Wednesday night was a 17.2, 8 percent higher than last year. But without the drama of a seven-game series, Fox was dealt a financial hit despite winning each night in prime time.

The network lost an estimated $15 million because of the sweep and must offer commercials to advertisers promised a larger audience. To break even, Fox needed the Series to go five games.

The record-low audience for the Series comes after a regular season in which baseball regained some of viewers who fled after the 1994-95 strike. All of baseball's TV partners posted double-digit gains in the regular season and local ratings also saw tremendous boosts.

The ratings for the first two rounds of the playoffs also grew from last year.

The network got a slight boost from a competitive Game 3, posting a 15.4 rating, the highest of the Series but still 1 percent lower than last year's third game between Florida and Cleveland.

The game was the second lowest Game 3 ever, barely beating out the 15.2 for the third game between Philadelphia and Toronto in 1993.

The rating grew almost every half-hour after starting at a relatively low 12.8 from 8:30-9 p.m. EDT. That base was hurt by the Yankees' 2-0 Series lead and the presence of a West Coast team for the first time since 1990.

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