The Pittsburgh Pirates went 25-48 after the All-Star break, had several members of the organization get into physical confrontations in the clubhouse and fired manager Clint Hurdle at season’s end.

And that’s to say nothing of the real-world horror of the arrest of closer Felipe Vazquez on sex crimes charges last month.

Still, somehow, their television ratings on AT&T Sportsnet went up.

According to an article on Forbes.com, 13 of the 29 regional sports networks that carry Major League Baseball saw an increase in ratings for games, and the Pirates were one of them.

Ratings were up 4% from last season, increasing from a 4.75 to a 4.95. That’s the eighth-best rating in baseball.

In real numbers, average viewership increased from 54,000 to 55,000. That total ranks 17th in baseball.

The MLB ratings champion this season was Cleveland with a 7.18 rating. Miami had the worst rating at 0.86.

The team with the biggest increase from last season was San Diego, up 78%. The biggest loser was Texas, down 35%.

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