Robinson vs Giants

Lore & Background

After the 1957 season, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley decided to move the team to Los Angeles for financial and other reasons. Along the way, he convinced New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham (who was considering moving his team to Minnesota) to preserve the rivalry by bringing his team to California as well. New York baseball fans were stunned and heartbroken by the move, which left the city with only one baseball team, the Yankees. However, to ease the loss of both the Dodgers and Giants, New York City was granted a fourth baseball team, the Mets, who began play in 1962. The Mets appealed to both sets of fans by adopting colors from each team: orange from the Giants and blue from the Dodgers. They eventually moved into a new stadium in Queens, a borough which had not previously hosted Major League Baseball. Given that the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco had long harbored animosity against one another in the economic, cultural, and political arenas, the teams' new homes in California were fertile ground for the rivalry's transplantation. Each team's ability to endure for over a century while moving across the country, as well as the rivalry's growth from a cross-city to a cross-state engagement, have led to the rivalry being considered one of the greatest in sports history. Geographic factors have also led to the rivalry becoming one of the fiercest between fans as numerous acts of violence have occurred between both players and fans alike.

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across Ebbets Field as the crowd roared for number forty-two. Jackie Robinson stepped into the batter's box, the Giants' pitcher winding up with a determined stare. The air smelled of cut grass and popcorn, but the focus was sharp and singular. One swing could shift the pennant race, one play could define a legacy.

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. However, since the two teams moved 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 series 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. They are counted as part of the regular season.

Did You Know?

• The Dodgers and Giants moved to California after the 1957 season, both beginning play in California in 1958.
• The Mets were granted to New York City in 1962, adopting orange from the Giants and blue from the Dodgers.
• The 1951 tiebreaker series featured the Shot Heard 'Round the World, a game-winning home run by Bobby Thomson.
• Jackie Robinson retired in the 1956–1957 offseason just hours after being traded to the Giants.