The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have one of the most iconic and historic rivalries in all of sports, and there’s never a dull moment when the two clubs meet up.
Dating back to their days on the East Coast when the Brooklyn Dodgers faced off against the New York Giants, the two franchises have played more than 2,500 games against each other.
The Giants hold the all-time edge, but not by many games, with a record of 1,282-1,276, a difference of just six games since their first meeting 135 years ago.
Regardless of where either team is in the standings, the games are usually highly competitive, and both teams come out with energy.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes that’s because both teams bring out the best in each other, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
“Traditionally, these guys [the Giants] play well at home regardless of who they’re running out there,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It’s a division rival. They’re sort of in and out as far as how they’re playing. But they bring their best against us. … We somehow bring out the best in every team. But that’s what we signed up for. We played an OK game, but there’s more in there, certainly.”
That proved to be the case on Friday in the series opener between the two clubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Although the Dodgers took the early lead and sat 12 games ahead of them in the standings, it was the Giants that battled back to win on a walk-off home run.
On Saturday, the two clubs played a back-and-forth game until the Dodgersbroke out for seven runs in extra innings to win the game.
Overall, the Dodgers have had the upper-hand overall this season, winning six of the eight matchups. Five of the games have also been decided by three runs or fewer, and two runs or fewer in four of them.
Last year, the two teams were just about even as the Dodgers won seven games, while the Giants won six in their head-to-head matchups.
But since the start of the 2021 season, the Dodgers have a 37-22 record against their rivals to the North, and since the Guggenheim Baseball Management group purchased the team in 2012, the Dodgers hold the edge on their rivals 118-102.
The 2021 season of course saw the Dodgers and Giants face off for the first time in the postseason, with the Dodgers winning the series 3-2 in the National League Division Series.
The last time the two franchises met up in the postseason was the 1889 World Series when the Giants of the National League defeated the Brooklyn Bridegrooms of the American Association six games to three.
The Dodgers entered the NL the following year in 1890, truly beginning their rivalry, and in 1958, both clubs moved from New York to California as the first two West Coast teams, further etching their rivalry lore.
Dodgers vs. Giants rivalry facts
The first meeting between the two franchises was on October 18, 1889 at Washington Park in Brookyln, NY, with the Bridegrooms winning 12-10.
The Dodgers largest win over the Giants was a 17-0 game on Sept. 13, 2014, while the Giants’ largest margin of victory has come in a 20-2 game (May 6, 1903, Spet. 10, 1938) and a 26-8 game (April 30, 1944).
The Dodgers longest winning streak over the Giants reached 10 games from July 12 to Sept. 16, 1953. The Giants longest streak reached 12 games from Oct. 2, 1937 to July 34, 1938.
During their time on the East Coast, the Dodgers led their series 722-671, along with 17 ties. Since the move West, the Dodgers hold the lead 604-560.
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