Dodgers-Giants Rivalry

Lore & Background

The rivalry began in the 1880s in New York City. By 1889, the Giants (NL) and Dodgers (then Bridegrooms, AA) met in the 1889 World Series, which the Giants won 6 games to 3. In 1890, the Dodgers entered the NL. Giants fans were seen as well-to-do elitists of Manhattan, while Dodgers fans were more blue-collar and had more Latino fans. In 1900, Giants owner Andrew Freedman attempted to have the NL split all profits equally. In the early 1900s, a personal feud between Dodgers owner Charles Ebbets and Giants manager John McGraw heightened the rivalry. Prior to the 1934 season, Giants manager Bill Terry's dismissive comment about the Dodgers—'Are they still in the league?'—proved provocative when the Giants lost the pennant to the Cardinals after losing two games to the sixth-place Dodgers. The rivalry is said to have been the motive for multiple fan-on-fan homicides, in 1938 and 2003. The 1951 pennant race is considered one of the greatest, with the Dodgers holding a 13½-game lead as late as August 11, but the Giants, led by rookie Willie Mays, caught them, forcing a three-game tiebreaker. The Giants won the third game on Bobby Thomson's 'Shot Heard 'Round the World.' During the 1956–1957 offseason, Jackie Robinson retired hours after being traded to the Giants.

In Their Own Story

The air at Ebbets Field is thick with cigarette smoke and the roar of twenty thousand Brooklynites in 1952. A young Jackie Robinson, eyes locked on the pitcher's mound, steps up to face the Giants' ace. The crowd holds its breath as the ball leaves the hand—a high fastball that seems destined for the catcher's mitt, but Robinson swings with a snap that echoes through the borough. As the ball soars toward center field, the tension breaks into chaos, a moment where baseball and history collide under the New York sun.

Reader's Guide

The Dodgers and Giants each have more National League pennants than any other team: the Dodgers have 26 and the Giants have 23. The Dodgers have one more World Series title than the Giants, with 9. The Dodgers have won the National League West 23 times compared to the Giants' 9 times since the beginning of the Divisional Era in 1969, and the all-time regular-season series head-to-head is tied. Since moving to California, the Dodgers hold the edge in pennants (14–6) and World Series titles (8–3). The Giants' most recent World Series appearance and championship occurred in 2014. The Dodgers last appeared in the World Series in 2025, winning back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history by defeating the Blue Jays in seven games. During their time on the East Coast, the Giants won the series 722–671–17 against the Dodgers. Since moving to the West Coast, the Dodgers lead 617–566 as of the end of their September 2025 regular season series. The two teams first met in the modern playoffs in the 2021 National League Division Series, although they contested the 1889 World Series. They have played two tie-breaker series after ending the regular season tied for first place, both best-of-3 to decide the National League Pennant, both won by the Giants 2–1 in 1951 and 1962 (counted as part of the regular season).

Did You Know?

• The Dodgers and Giants were the first two MLB teams in the Western US after their moves in 1958.
• New York baseball fans were stunned by the moves, but the city was granted a fourth team, the Mets, who began play in 1962 and adopted orange from the Giants and blue from the Dodgers.
• The 1951 tiebreaker series featured the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World,' a dramatic game-winning home run by Bobby Thomson.
• The rivalry has led to numerous acts of violence between players and fans alike.