In honor of this week’s Astros and Dodgers series, we wanted to take a look at the top four historic major league rivalries, in ascending order.
This one’s been around for decades – they’re still fighting for Tug McGraw – but it has taken on a different color in the past 20 years, when both teams were excellent for long periods. (Remember how Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley upset Mets fans?). Looks like it’s been getting cold lately, but maybe that shouldn’t be the case: after all, they’re 1-2 in NL East and they’ll meet up a few times below the extension.
There is a large gap between places 1, 2 and 3 in this quartet and the order of the top three tends to rotate. Both teams are having a bad year in 2021 and the Cubs seem to be starting from scratch. But over the past 10 years, this has been a great rivalry. The Cardinals have dominated the Cubs for many years, but the past decade was Chicago’s time, culminating in their victory over St.
This season may be a new climax in the more than 100-year battle between these two franchises, which as you know began their rivalry in New York. They might be the two best teams in the big leagues at the moment, but only one can win the degree. The Dodgers have owned NL West for a while, but no Giants fan will let you forget that they have three titles this century, versus one in Los Angeles.
Sure, we haven’t had a classic battle with both teams at their best for several years, which means he’s easily moved from being the best competition to the best relaxed competition. It may never reach the peak of those 2003-2004 years, when it seemed like some kind of historical battle… but it will always be a show that no one wants to miss, even if neither of you is feeling well at any point in time. Don’t worry, though: They’re almost always good.