Dodgers-Giants Rivalry

Lore & Background

In 1900, a year in which the Dodgers won the pennant and the Giants finished last, Giants owner Andrew Freedman attempted to have the NL split all profits equally, irrespective of the teams’ individual success or failure. Prior to the 1934 season, Giants manager Bill Terry asked about the Dodgers replied, 'Are they still in the league?' The Giants lost the last two games of the season to the Dodgers, costing them the pennant. The rivalry is said to have been the motive for multiple fan-on-fan homicides, in 1938 and 2003. The 1951 pennant race featured the Shot Heard 'Round the World. During the 1956–1957 offseason, Jackie Robinson retired just hours after being traded to the Giants.

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 were best of 3 to decide the winner of the National League Pennant and both were won by the Giants 2–1 in 1951 and 1962.

Did You Know?

• The Mets, who began play in 1962, adopted colors from each team: orange from the Giants and blue from the Dodgers.
• The 1889 World Series was contested between the Giants and the Dodgers (then known as the Bridegrooms), with the Giants winning 6 games to 3.
• In 1959, a late-year three-game sweep of the Giants eliminated San Francisco from contention and allowed the Dodgers to catch the Milwaukee Braves en route to winning the World Series.