The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants hold one of the most storied and intense rivalries in sports, but now the San Diego Padres are pushing hard to create their own tense history.
Historically, the Dodgers and Padres have not been much of a rivalry. The Dodgers are 509-415 all-time against San Diego and swept the Padres in the 2020 postseason en route to a World Series championship.
During the 2022 regular season, the Dodgers won 14 of their 19 matchups, but the Padres got the last laugh as they eliminated L.A. in four games during the National League Division Series.
The Padres have been aggressive in recent seasons in upgrading their roster, and they now have a team that is comparable to the Dodgers. They are the two best teams in the NL West, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes the teams have created a real rivalry, he said on MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” during the Winter Meetings:
“It’s a rivalry. It’s a legit rivalry. I’ll tell you this, I do get some love (in San Diego) and I do get some boos when I come into Petco Park.”
Roberts had previously dismissed matchups against the Padres as being a rivalry for the Dodgers, and instead pointed to the longstanding history with the Giants.
After the NLDS, some Padres players believed the Dodgers took the series for granted because of their recent history against each other.
But after the playoff loss and the Padres lineup adding Fernando Tatís Jr. and Xander Bogaerts for the 2023 season, the Dodgers will have their work cut out for them.
Prior to 2022, the last time the Padres hosted a home playoff game with fans in attendance was in 2006, when Roberts was batting leadoff for the club. “There was a lot of anticipation going into that series,” Roberts recalled before Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS.
The Dodgers skipper still lives in San Diego during the offseason, and before their postseason matchup against the Padres, he joked that some of his neighbors may be rooting against him.
“This is where you find out who your real friends are,” Roberts said. “Yeah, I’ve kind of made some new lines with people. But no, it’s all good.”
The Dodgers and Padres seem destined to meet in the playoffs again. Whether it’s during the 2023 season or a future season remains to be seen, but moving forward, the games will be a lot more intense.
Justin Turner: NLDS loss to Padres will be on Dodgers’ minds for a long time
Justin Turner said the disappointing result will remain on the Dodgers’ minds for a while and it served as another reminder of how challenging the postseason can be.
The Dodgers setting a franchise record with 111 wins this year before getting eliminated in the NLDS didn’t change Turner’s feeling of disappointment.
“They all suck,” he said after Game 4. “Obviously the goal is to win a championship. To fall short of that in any round, it doesn’t matter.”
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