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Major League Baseball rivalries

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Rivalries in Major League Baseball, like in other sports, have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones include geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, violence, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.

Interleague rivalries can be inconsistently scheduled during the regular season and generally tend to be based on geographic proximity and previous World Series matchups. An exception to this inconsistent scheduling is the eleven pairs of teams which meet six times a year during interleague play.

Background

Further information: Major League Baseball schedule

In the "Original 16" era (1901–60), there were eight teams in each league and teams in each league played each other 22 times a season.[1] With the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) and Los Angeles Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) entering play as expansion teams in 1961, MLB increased the total number of games American League teams played to 162, which meant teams would play each other 18 times a season.[1] The National League did not implement this until the following year when the New York Mets and Houston Colt 45's (now the Houston Astros) entered play.[1]

In 1969, with the San Diego Padres, Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals, and Montreal Expos entering play as expansion teams, MLB split both leagues into two divisions with six teams each.[2] Teams played a total of 90 intra-divisional games, playing teams within the division 18 times each and 72 inter-divisional games, playing each team in the other division 12 times.[3][4] However, in 1977, the addition of the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays reduced the number of intra-divisional games American League teams played to 78, as each team would play each team within the division 13 times.[4] However, they still played each team in the other division 12 times, but the total number of inter-divisional games increased to 84.[4] The National League did not institute this until 1993, when the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies entered play.[4]

In 1994, MLB split each league into three divisions,[5] but kept the 1993 format in scheduling.[6] In 1997, with the MLB adopting interleague play,[7] the schedules were changed.[8] The schedule for interleague play comprises 84 three-game series, namely six series (18 games) for each of fourteen AL teams and as many as six for each of 16 NL teams.

MLB changed its scheduling format in 2001, further intensifying division matchups throughout the league.[9] The new "unbalanced schedule" allowed for additional games in each season between divisional rivals, replacing additional series with teams outside the division.[10] Due to the change, division rivals now played each other 17 or more times each season.[11] The scheduling drew criticism both when it was enacted and after the fact, with some analysts even positing that the unbalanced schedule hurt intra-divisional play.[12]

American League

American League East

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

Main article: Yankees–Red Sox rivalry

The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in sports.[13][14][15] For more than 100 years, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have been intense rivals.[11]

The rivalry is often a heated subject of conversation in the Northeastern United States.[16] Since the inception of the wild card team and an added Division Series, the AL East rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series three times, with the Yankees winning in 1999 and 2003 and the Sox winning in 2004.[17][18] In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in 1904 (when the Red Sox won) and 1949 (when the Yankees won).[17]

The teams also finished tied for first in 1978, when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff for the division title.[19] The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season.[20] Similarly, the 2004 ALCS is notable for the Yankees leading 3–0 and ultimately losing a best-of-7 series.[21] The Red Sox comeback was the only time in baseball history that a team has come back from a 3–0 deficit to win a series.[22]

The rivalry is often termed the "greatest rivalry in all of sports."[23] Games between the two teams often generate a great deal of interest and get extensive media coverage, including being broadcast on national television.[24][25]

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

The Yankees–Orioles rivalry started before the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954. The Yankees started in Baltimore before relocating to New York in 1903. Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore and played for the Orioles before playing for the Yankees and Red Sox. Since the formation of the AL East, the Yankees have enjoyed high levels of success, finishing first and second in their division nine times. In 1996, the Yankees won the playoff series against the Orioles and the Jeffrey Maier incident was an integral part in the Yankees winning the series. The Yankees would win another playoff series against the Orioles in 2012.


National League

National League Central

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Main article: Cardinals–Cubs rivalry

The Cardinals–Cubs rivalry refers to games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. The Cubs lead the series 1,091–1,044 through 2010,[26] while the Cardinals lead in National League pennants with 18 against the Cubs' 16. However, the Cardinals have a clear edge when it comes to World Series successes, having won 11 championships to the Cubs' 2. Cardinals-Cubs games see numerous visiting fans in either St. Louis' Busch Stadium or Chicago's Wrigley Field.[27] When the National League split into two, and then three divisions, the Cardinals and Cubs remained together. They had 3 pennant races in 1930, 1935, and 1945.

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants

Main article: Dodgers–Giants rivalry

The Dodgers–Giants rivalry is one of the biggest in American baseball.[28][29]

It began in the late 19th century when both clubs were based in New York City, with the Dodgers playing in Brooklyn and the Giants playing at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan. After the 1957 season, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley decided to move the team to Los Angeles for financial reasons, among others.[30] Along the way, he managed to convince Giants owner Horace Stoneham (who was considering moving his team to Minnesota) to preserve the rivalry by bringing his team to California as well.[30] New York baseball fans were stunned and heartbroken by the move.[30][31] Given that the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco have long been competitors in economic, cultural, and political arenas, the new venue in California became fertile ground for its transplantation.

Each team's ability to have endured for over a century while leaping across an entire continent, as well as the rivalry's growth from a cross-city to a cross-state engagement, have led to the rivalry being considered one of the greatest in sports history.[32][33][34]

Unlike many other historic baseball match-ups in which one team remains dominant for most of their history, the Dodgers–Giants rivalry has exhibited a persistent balance in the respective successes of the two teams. While the Giants have more wins, National League pennants and World Series titles in franchise history, the Dodgers have won the National League West eleven times compared to the Giants' eight. The 2012 World Series was the Giants' second championship since moving to California, while the Dodgers' last title came in the 1988 World Series.

Interleague

Background

Further information: Interleague play

Early discussions about interleague play

Interleague or interconference matchups have long been the norm in other professional sports leagues such as the National Football League.[7] Regular season interleague play was discussed for baseball's major leagues as early as the 1930s. In December 1956, Major League owners considered a proposal by Cleveland general manager and minority-owner Hank Greenberg to implement limited interleague play beginning in 1958.[35]

Under Greenberg's proposal, each team would continue to play 154-games in the season, 126 of which would be within the league, and 28 against the eight clubs. The interleague games would all be played during a period immediately following the All-Star Game. Notably, under Greenberg's proposal, all results would count in regular season game standings and league statistics.[35] While this proposal was not adopted, the current system shares many elements. Bill Veeck predicted in 1963 that Major League Baseball would someday have Interleague play.[36] The concept did not take hold until the 1990s (at least in part as an effort to renew the public's interest in MLB following the 1994 players' strike).[7]

First Interleague games

MLB's first regular season interleague game took place on June 12, 1997, when the Texas Rangers hosted the San Francisco Giants at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.[37] There were four interleague games on the schedule that night, but the other three were played on the West Coast, so the Giants–Rangers matchup started a few hours earlier than the others.[37] Texas' Darren Oliver threw the game's first pitch and San Francisco outfielder Glenallen Hill was the first designated hitter used in a regular-season game by a National League team.[37] San Francisco's Stan Javier hit the first home run in interleague play, and the Giants won the game 4–3.[37]

For the first five seasons of Interleague Play, each division played against the same division from the other league (NL East vs. AL East, NL Central vs. AL Central and NL West vs. AL West), typically scheduled to alternate between home and away in consecutive years.[38] However, in 2002, a new format to Interleague Play was instituted where teams play Interleague games against various divisions.[38] Matchups which had been of particular interest prior to this format—mainly geographic rivals—were preserved. This is expected to be the continuing format of the interleague schedule. Corresponding divisions however, were skipped once when this rotation began, but were put back in the rotation in 2006.

From 2002-12, all interleague games were played prior to the All-Star Game. Most games were played in June, though May games have been scheduled since 2005. Among the 224 interleague pairs of teams, 11 played six games every year, which were scheduled in two three-game series "home and home," or one at each home ballpark. Five of these matches feature two teams in the same city or in neighboring cities, where they wholly or partly share territorial rights. Six are regional matches at greater distance, four of which are in the same state.

Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants

Main article: Bay Bridge Series

The Bay Bridge Series is the name of the games played between—and rivalry of—the Oakland Athletics of the AL and San Francisco Giants of the NL. The series takes its name from the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge which links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Although competitive, the regional rivalry between the A's and Giants is considered a friendly one with mostly mutual companionship between the fans, as opposed to Cubs–White Sox, or Mets–Yankees games where animosity runs high. While many fans have a very strong dislike for the other team, some others actually like both. Bay Area baseball fans tend to disagree with each other on this topic.

The series is also occasionally referred to as the "BART Series" for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system that links Oakland to San Francisco. However, the name "BART Series" has never been popular beyond a small selection of history books and national broadcasters and has fallen out of favor. Bay Area locals almost exclusively refer to the rivalry as the "Bay Bridge Series".

Originally, the term described a series of exhibition games played between the two clubs after the conclusion of spring training, immediately prior to the start of the regular season. It was first used to refer to the 1989 World Series in which the Athletics won their most recent championship and the first time both teams had met since they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, it also refers to games played between the teams during the regular season since the commencement of interleague play in 1997. Through May 22, 2011, the A's have won 42 games, and the Giants have won 41.[39]

Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox

Main article: Cubs–White Sox rivalry

The Cubs–White Sox rivalry (also known as the BP Crosstown Cup, Crosstown Classic, The Windy City Showdown,[40] Red Line Series, City Series, Crosstown Series,[41] Crosstown Cup or Crosstown Showdown[41]) refers to the rivalry between two Major League Baseball teams that play their home games in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs of the NL play their home games at Wrigley Field located on the city's North side, while the Chicago White Sox of the AL play their home games at U.S. Cellular Field on the city's South side. The terms "North Siders" and "South Siders" are synonymous with the respective teams and their fans, setting up an enduring rivalry. The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line runs north-south through Chicago's neighborhoods, stopping at Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field.

Notably this rivalry actually predates the Interleague Play Era, with the only postseason meeting occurring in the 1906 World Series. It was the first World Series between teams from the same city. The White Sox won the series 4 games to 2, over the highly favored Cubs who had won a record 116 games during the regular season. The rivalry continued through of exhibition games, culminating in the Crosstown Classic from 1985-1995, in which the White Sox were undefeated at 10-0-2. The White Sox currently lead the regular season series 49-44. There have been eight series sweeps since interleague play began: five by the Cubs in 1998, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2013, and three by the White Sox in 1999, 2008 and 2012.

New York Mets vs. New York Yankees

Main article: Mets–Yankees rivalry

The Mets–Yankees rivalry is the latest incarnation of the Subway Series, the competition between New York City's Major League Baseball teams, the AL Yankees and NL Mets. Until Interleague play started, the two teams had only met in exhibition games. Since the inception of interleague play the teams have met in every season since 1997 and faced off in the 2000 World Series.

Historical

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Main article: Dodgers–Yankees rivalry

The Dodgers–Yankees rivalry is one of the most well-known rivalries in Major League Baseball.[42] The two teams have met 11 times in the World Series, more times than any other pair of teams from the American and National Leagues.[42] The initial significance was embodied in the two teams' proximity in New York City, when the Dodgers initially played in Brooklyn. After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the rivalry retained its significance as the two teams represented the dominant cities on each coast of the United States, and since the 1980s, the two largest cities in the United States.

New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants

Main article: Giants–Yankees rivalry

The rivalry between the New York Giants and New York Yankees was intense as both teams not only inhabited New York City but also, for a time, the same ballpark.[43] During that era the opportunities for them to meet could only have been in a World Series. Both teams kicked off the first Subway Series between the NL and AL in 1921.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds

The Dodgers–Reds rivalry was one of the most intense during the 1970s and '80s. They often competed for the NL West division title. From 1970–90, they had eleven 1-2 finishes in the standings, with seven of them being within 5½ games or fewer. Both teams also played in numerous championships during this span, combining to win 10 NL Pennants and 5 World Series titles from 1970–1990. Reds manager Sparky Anderson once said, "I don't think there's a rivalry like ours in either league. The Giants are supposed to be the Dodgers' natural rivals, but I don't think the feeling is there anymore. It's not there the way it is with us and the Dodgers."[44] The rivalry ended when division realignment moved the Reds to the NL Central. However, they did face one another in the 1995 NLDS.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Main article: Phillies–Pirates rivalry

The rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates was considered by some to be one of the best rivalries in the NL.[45][46][47] The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered play in 1887, four years after the Phillies.[5]

The Phillies and Pirates remained together after the National League split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969–1993), the two National League East division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, the Pirates 9, the Phillies 6; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span.[48]

However, after the Pirates moved to the National League Central in 1994, the rivalry ended. The teams have since faced each other only in two series per year and the rivalry has effectively died in the years since the Pirates moved out of the NL East.[46][47]

See also

References

Inline citations

  1. ^ a b c Drebinger, John (December 8, 1960). "Vote Unanimous on Ten-Club Plan". The New York Times. p. 48.
  2. ^ Koppet, Leonard (July 11, 1968). "Major Leagues Adopt 2-Division, 162-Game Format for 1969 Only". The New York Times. p. 45.
  3. ^ "New National League Format Has Cincinnati in West and St. Louis in East". New York Times. February 9, 1969. p. S2.
  4. ^ a b c d "NL Changes Format". Associated Press. September 3, 1992.
  5. ^ a b Stark, Jayson (September 10, 1993). "Baseball Owners Vote to Break Each League Into Three Divisions". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A1.
  6. ^ Bodley, Hal (January 25, 1994). "Central and West teams are realignment winners". USA Today. p. 5C.
  7. ^ a b c Blum, Ronald (January 18, 1996). "Owners Approve Interleague Play; Don't See DH as Problem". Associated Press.
  8. ^ Chass, Murray (January 19, 1996). "In '97, Let the Games (Between the Leagues) Begin". The New York Times. p. B9. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  9. ^ Chass, Murray (December 6, 2000). "Division Race Just Got Harder For Mets". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  10. ^ Donovan, John (March 21, 2001). "New schedule will make for some hot division races". CNNSI.com.
  11. ^ a b Dodd, Mike (October 12, 2004). "Here they go again...; Red Sox vs. Yankees: Bitter enemies clash with Series on line". USA Today. p. 1C. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  12. ^ Click, James (September 19, 2003). "Checks and Balances: Looking at the Unbalanced Schedule". Baseball Prospectus.
  13. ^ Shaughnessy 2005, p. 21
  14. ^ Frommer & Frommer 2004, p. 78
  15. ^ Bodley, Hal (October 21, 2004). "Sport's ultimate rivalry; Yanks-Red Sox epic battles go way back". USA Today. p. 3C. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  16. ^ Shaughnessy 2005, p. 19
  17. ^ a b DiGiovanna, Mike (October 12, 2004). "They Love to Hate Each Other; Red Sox and Yankees carry bitter rivalry into championship series that starts tonight". Los Angeles Times. p. D1.
  18. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (October 21, 2004). "A World Series ticket; Sox complete comeback, oust Yankees for AL title". The Boston Globe. p. A1.
  19. ^ Frommer & Frommer 2004, pp. 177–179
  20. ^ Frommer & Frommer 2004, p. 175
  21. ^ Kepner, Tyler (October 21, 2004). "Back From Dead, Red Sox Bury Yanks and Go to Series". New York Times. p. A1.
  22. ^ Rieber, Anthony (May 16, 2010). "Bruins' fall brings back memories of 2004". Newsday. p. 68. The 2004 Yankees...are the only baseball team in history to lead a postseason series 3–0 and not win it.
  23. ^ The New York Times; The Boston Globe (2004). The rivals: the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees: an inside history (1st ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-312-33616-0.
  24. ^ Wallace, Tim (July 10, 2011). "Two nations, over the air: Portrait of a rivalry in radio waves". Boston Globe. p. K12. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  25. ^ Ortiz, Jorge L. (May 7, 2010). "Yankees vs. Red Sox: Long-running drama". USA Today. p. 1C.
  26. ^ "Head-to-Head results for Chicago Orphans and Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals from 1901 to 2010". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  27. ^ Lee, Tony (January 12, 2011). "Cubs, Cardinals Must Emulate Yankees, Red Sox to Rekindle Rivalry". NESN. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  28. ^ "Baseball's top 10 rivalries".
  29. ^ "In Depth: Baseball's Most Intense Rivalries".
  30. ^ a b c Murphy, Robert (2009). After many a summer: the passing of the Giants and Dodgers and a golden age in New York baseball. New York: Sterling. ISBN 978-1-4027-6068-6.
  31. ^ Sullivan, Neil J. (1987). The Dodgers move west: the transfer of the Brooklyn baseball franchise to Los Angeles. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504366-9.
  32. ^ "The 10 greatest rivalries". ESPN.com. January 3, 2000.
  33. ^ Caple, Jim (September 16, 2002). "Giants-Dodgers best rivalry in baseball". ESPN.com.
  34. ^ Beard, Donald (March 30, 2005). "Giants-Dodgers Covers a Lot of Ground". The Washington Post. p. H5.
  35. ^ a b Drebinger, John (December 9, 1956). "Player Limit, Interleague Games Toy Issues on Majors' Agenda". New York Times. p. 235.
  36. ^ Hurwitz, Hy (May 4, 1963). "Veeck Predicts Big Time Will Adopt Interloop Play". The Sporting News. p. 4.
  37. ^ a b c d Chass, Murray (June 13, 1997). "Baseball Crosses Great Divide: AL 3, NL 1". New York Times. p. B9.
  38. ^ a b "Interleague History". MLB.com. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  39. ^ "Head-to-Head record for Oakland Athletics against the listed opponents from 1997 to 2009". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
  40. ^ Merkin, Scott (June 21, 2007). "Buehrle Opens Windy City Showdown". MLB.com. WhiteSox.com.
  41. ^ a b Dodd, Mike; Keen, Judy (October 3, 2008). "There Are Two Sides To the Story for Cubs and White Sox Fans". USA Today.
  42. ^ a b Nightengale, Bob (June 25, 2010). "Oscars of interleague: Stars coming out for Yankees-Dodgers". USA Today. p. C4.
  43. ^ Spatz, Lyle; Steinberg, Steve (2010). 1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York. Lincoln, Ne.: University of Nebraska Press.
  44. ^ Fimrite, Ron (April 28, 1975). "Where There's Smoke There's Ire". Sports Illustrated.
  45. ^ Woolsey, Matt (April 28, 2009). "In Depth: Baseball's Most Intense Rivalries". Forbes.
  46. ^ a b Collier, Gene (July 4, 2005). "Pirates—Phillies: A Rivalry Lost and Missed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  47. ^ a b Von Benko, George (July 7, 2005). "Notes: Phils–Pirates rivalry fading". Phillies.MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  48. ^ Collier, Gene (September 27, 1993). "Pirates, Phillies Have Owned the Outgoing NL East Division". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.

Bibliography

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