-By Anthony Crupi

Powered by a 6-RBI performance by designated hitter Hideki Matsui, the New York Yankees on Wednesday night secured their 27th World Series title, notching a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies that drew an average audience of 22.3 million viewers.

With an average delivery of 19.4 million viewers, the six-game series outdrew last year’s Rays-Phillies set by 38 percent, per Nielsen ratings data. It now stands as the most-watched Fall Classic since 2004, when the Boston Red Sox snapped a run of futility that stretched back to 1918 with a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. That series drew an average crowd of 25.4 million viewers.

The 2009 World Series ranks as the sixth most-watched of the 12 MLB championships covered by Fox. (The network carried the 1996 and 1998 series before going on to air every Fall Classic in this century.)

The most watched contest of this year’s series was Game 4, which drew 22.8 million viewers.

Along with total viewers, the Yankees-Phillies tilt set five-year highs across every major male and adult demographic.  Versus the 2008 series, Fox was up 38 percent among men 18-34 (6.5 rating), 37 percent among men 18-49 (7.8) and 32 percent among men 25-54 (8.7).

Four of the six 2009 World Series games started before 8 p.m. ET.  A fifth was slated to start before 8 p.m., but was delayed by rain for around 80 minutes. (Only Sunday’s Game 4 had a planned 8:20 p.m. Starting time, in order to accommodate Fox’s NFL schedule.)

Philadelphia topped all markets in every game of this World Series, with a six-game average household rating/share of 41.0/57. New York posted a 30.4/45.