The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have one of the most historic rivalries in professional sports history, which applies both on and off the field.
When the two clubs match up, they are nearly even in the all-time head-to-head category with the Dodgers winning 1,270 games while the Giants have won 1,280 of their matchups. However, since the start of 2010, the Dodgers have taken 129 games as opposed to the Giants’ 119 wins.
Both franchises have also won a World Series over this stretch, with the Giants notably winning three in five years with their first in 2010 and then winning again in 2012 and 2014. The Dodgers on the other hand, have been in the postseason more often, but have just one World Series to show for it, which came in 2020.
That 2020 World Series has also been the subject of criticism due to the pandemic-shortened season. Due to COVID-19, the regular season consisted of just 60 games before the playoffs began.
Although that postseason format was also one of the most difficult to win due to the changes with a three-game Wild Card series for every team, which required the World Series winner to more playoff games than any other team in MLB history, the championship has still been ridiculed and called fake.
A running joke often seen on social media platforms, notably X (also known as Twitter), is calling it a “Mickey Mouse Championship” to take away from the achievement. In essence, calling it a Mickey Mouse title is essentially the same as calling it a fake title or less significant than others.
The phrase became most common after the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals, which due to the pandemic was played at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Because of this running joke, it is perhaps no coincidence that the Giants are giving away a Mickey Mouse ears hat to the first 15,000 fans in attendance at Oracle Park when they host the Dodgers on Sunday, June 30 at 1:05 p.m. In addition to the giveaway, it’s also Disneyland Day for the Giants.
While it may very well be a coincidence that the promotion is happening against the Dodgers, fans on social media were sure to take note of the timing and offered their thoughts on the matter.
Disneyland is, of course, located in Southern California near the Los Angeles Angels, so the Giants having a day to celebrate the theme park in and of itself is also a somewhat curious decision. However, teams have not been shy to partner with Disney for previous giveaways and promotions.
Teams often have Marvel and other Disney-themed items both for sale in their team stores and as promotions. And every year, nearly all MLB teams celebrate Star Wars Day, May 4, with a promotional day around that time.
While it may never be found out if the Giants made the deliberate decision to troll the Dodgers with that giveaway, it still adds fuel to the fire of the rivalry regardless.
Free agents question if Giants can compete with Dodgers
The Dodgers dominated headlines this offseason with their additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández, but other teams in the National League West have improved as well.
The Arizona Diamondbacks most notably acquired Eugenio Suárez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million contract.
Meanwhile, the Giants brought in former Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) MVP Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year, $113 million deal. They also added Jordan Hicks on a multi-year deal with the intent to make him a starting pitcher.
But as the Giants look to continue bolstering their roster, some free agents have wondered if they will be able to keep up with the Dodgers next season and beyond.
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