Head-to-head matchups between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres has increased in intensity exponentially over the past five seasons, with three playoff meetings taking place during that span and in general more competitive series overall.
The Padres are in the midst of a strong showing, with three postseason appearances since 2020 marking their most successful stretch in franchise history. For comparison, they had a record of 349-461 from 2015-2019.
The same could be said of the Dodgers, who have been enjoying unprecedented levels of success since 2013. They have largely reigned over the National League West in that time and won two World Series titles in the past five seasons alone.
A new rivalry between the two teams has been formed in the eyes of the public, Max Muncy explained during an appearance on “Foul Territory” that he only views the San Francisco Giants as the Dodgers’ true rival:
“The Padres bring everything that is in a rivalry, but you only have one rival. I don’t like when people say you have rivals. I just think if you have a rival, it’s your counterpart, and that’s always going to be the Giants, for the Dodgers at least. It’s always going to be the Red Sox for the Yankees.
“People like to make the argument that the Astros and Yankees had a good rivalry going, and that’s true, but you only have one rival. So for me, like I said, the Padres bring everything that a rivalry brings, but for me, your rival is just one team. You don’t have multiple teams as your rival.”
A good rivalry requires strong feelings of animosity and competitiveness between both sides, which is certainly the case for the Padres and Dodgers. But any rivalry worth its salt is also built on a bedrock of shared history over numerous decades.
It has spanned more than a century in the case of the Dodgers and Giants, as their rivalry can be traced all the way back to their respective time in New York. The series also has a unique quality where records are seemingly thrown out the window whenever these two teams meet.
The Giants lead the all-time series against the Dodgers by the slimmest of margins, with a record of 1,284-1,279.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers hold a distinct advantage over the Padres with a 524-428 record all-time.
While it could very well be a rivalry in the making, the current level of intensity will need to be sustainable before it has any long-term impact on the Dodgers’ perception of the Padres. And even then, the Padres will likely always play second fiddle to the Giants, barring a drastic change.
Dodgers don’t view Padres series in different light
This week’s series at Petco Park is the first time the Dodgers and Padres played since last October. However, that memorable NL Division Series matchup largely remains a distant, albeit fond, memory for L.A.
Manager Dave Roberts has continued to state the Dodgers’ focus is on playing well and getting a series win, and he’s insisted his team is not placing added emphasis on the matchup.
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