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Rivalries in Major League Baseball (MLB), like in other sports, have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones include geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, violence, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.

Interleague rivalries can be inconsistently scheduled during the regular season and generally tend to be based on geographic proximity and World Series match-ups. An exception to this inconsistent scheduling is the eleven pairs of teams which meet six times a year during interleague play.

Background

During the "Original Sixteen" era (1901 to 1960), there were eight teams in each league and teams in each league would play each other 22 times a season. With the addition of the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) and Los Angeles Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) entering play as expansion teams in 1961, MLB increased the total number of games American League teams played to 162, which meant teams would play each other 18 times a season. The National League didn't implement this until the following year when the New York Mets and the Houston Colt 45's (now the Houston Astros) entered play.

In 1969, MLB split both leagues into two divisions with six teams each. Teams would play a total of 90 intra-divisional games, playing teams within the division 18 times each and 72 inter-divisional games, playing each team in the other division 12 times. However, in 1977, the addition of the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays reduced the total number of intra-divisional games American League teams played to 78, as each team would play each team within the division 13 times. However, they would still play each team in the other division 12 times, but the total number of inter-divisional games increased to 84. The National League didn't institute this until 1993, when the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies entered play.

In 1994, MLB split each league into three divisions, but kept the 1993 format in scheduling. In 1997, with the MLB adopting interleague play, the schedules were changed. The schedule for interleague play comprises 84 three-game series, namely six series (18 games) for each of fourteen AL teams and as many as six for each of sixteen NL teams.

MLB changed its scheduling format in 2001, further intensifying division matchups throughout the league. The new "unbalanced schedule" allowed for additional games in each season between divisional rivals, replacing additional series with teams outside the division. Due to the change, division rivals now played each other 17 or more times each season. The scheduling drew criticism both when it was enacted and after the fact, with some analysts even positing that the unbalanced schedule hurt intra-divisional play.

Among the 224 interleague pairs of teams, 11 play six games every year, which are scheduled in two three-game series "home and home," or one at each home ballpark. Five of these matches feature two teams in the same city or in neighboring cities, where they wholly or partly share territorial rights. Six are regional matches at greater distance, four of which are in the same state.

American League East

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

The Yankees – Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in North American professional sports. For over 100 years, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have been intense rivals.

The rivalry is sometimes so polarizing that it is often a heated subject, like religion or politics, in the Northeastern United States. Since the inception of the wild card team and an added Division Series, the American League East rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series three times, with the Yankees winning twice in 1999 and 2003 and the Sox winning in 2004. In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in 1904 (when the Red Sox won) and 1949 (when the Yankees won).

The teams also finished tied for first in 1978, when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff for the division title. The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season.

The rivalry has been considered the biggest and "the best rivalry in sports." Games between the two teams have often been broadcast on national television, schedule permitting.

American League Central

Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers

The Indians-Tigers rivalry is an intense rivalry. In 1960 The Indians traded then fan favorite Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn which was a trade that would not bode well with Cleveland fans. The rivalry intensified in 2007 and 2008 when in 2007 when the Indians won the Division beating out the Tigers who in 2006 won the American League Championship. In 2008 both teams struggled but in a late season game in Cleveland the Indians and Tigers got into a bench clearing brawl that resulted in 4 ejections. The two cities are only separated by a roughly 3 hour drive.

American League West

Lone Star Series: Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros

The Lone Star Series is an annual contest featuring Texas' two major league franchises, the Texas Rangers of the American League and the Houston Astros of the National League. It is an outgrowth of the "natural rivalry" established by MLB.

The winner of the 6-game series is awarded the Silver Boot. A 30-inch (760 mm) tall display of a size-15 cowboy boot cast in silver, complete with a custom, hand-made spur. If the series is split (3-to-3), the winner is the club which scored the most runs over the course of the series. In 2013 the Astros are moving to The American League West and will play the Rangers 18 times a year.

National League

Although some of the rivalries came as a result of realignment, some of the rivalries in the National League have become some of the best rivalries in baseball.

National League East

Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets

The Braves–Mets rivalry is a rivalry between two teams in the National League East, featuring the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.

Although their first major confrontation occurred when the Mets swept the Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series, en route to their first World Series championship, the first playoff series won by an expansion team (also the first playoff appearance by an expansion team), the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1990s, when division realignment put the Mets and the Braves in the same division, and the Braves became one of the most dominant baseball teams in professional baseball.

New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The rivalry between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies is said to be among the best rivalries in the National League, along with the Cardinals–Cubs and the Dodgers–Giants rivalries. The two National League East divisional rivals have met each other frequently in playoff, division, and Wild Card races.

A notable moment in the early history of the rivalry was Jim Bunning's perfect game on Father's Day of 1964, the first perfect game in Phillies history. Aside from several brawls in the 1980s, the rivalry remained relatively low-key before the 2006 season, as the teams had seldom been equally good at the same time. The Phillies were near the bottom of the NL East when the Mets won the 1969 World Series and the National League pennant in 1973, while the Mets did not enjoy success in the late 1970s when the Phillies won three straight division championships. Although both teams each won a World Series in the 1980s, the Mets were not serious contenders in the Phillies' playoff years (1980, 1981, and 1983), nor did the Phillies seriously contend in the Mets' playoff years (1986 and 1988), although they finished second in the standings to the Mets in 1986. The Mets were the Majors' worst team when the Phillies won the NL pennant in 1993, and the Phillies could not post a winning record in either of the Mets' wild-card-winning seasons of 1999 or 2000, when the Mets faced the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series.

As the rivalry has intensified in recent years, the teams have battled more often for playoff position. The Mets won the division in 2006, while the Phillies won four consecutive division titles from 2007 to 2010. The Phillies' 2007 championship was won on the last day of the season as the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen games remaining. The Phillies broke the Curse of Billy Penn to win the 2008 World Series, while the Mets' last title came in the 1986 World Series.

There is a long-standing bitter rivalry between the sports fans from both New York City and Philadelphia, which are approximately two hours apart by car, seen also between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League and the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League. Games between the two teams at both Citi Field and Citizens Bank Park are often very intense, hard-hitting affairs, as each home crowd does its best to create an unfriendly and sometimes volatile atmosphere for any visiting-team fans.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers-Cubs Series is a rivalry between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, two teams whose ballparks are located only 83.3 miles from each other off Interstate 94.

The Brewers and Cubs have been playing each other in spring training Cactus League games since the Brewers franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. However, this budding rivalry did not begin to grow until 1998, when the Brewers moved from the American League Central Division to the NL Central. Until then, the Brewers had a rivalry with Chicago's AL team, the White Sox.

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals–Cubs rivalry refers to games between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. The rivalry is also known as the I-55 series (or in earlier years the Route 66 series), deriving its name from the roadway connecting the two cities, Interstate 55 (which itself succeeded the famous U.S. Route 66). The Cubs lead the series 1,091–1,044 through 2010, while the Cardinals lead in National League pennants with 17 against the Cubs' 16. However, the Cardinals have a clear edge when it comes to World Series successes, having won 10 championships to the Cubs' 2. Cardinals-Cubs games see numerous visiting fans in either St. Louis' Busch Stadium or Chicago's Wrigley Field. When the National League split into two, and then three divisions, the Cardinals and Cubs remained together. This has added excitement to several pennant races over the years, most recently in 1989 and 2003, both times the division title was won by the Cubs.

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants

The Dodgers–Giants rivalry is the longest-standing and one of the most storied rivalries in the history of baseball.

The feud between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants began in the late 19th century when both clubs were based in New York City, with the Dodgers playing in Brooklyn and the Giants playing at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan. After the 1957 season, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley decided to move the team to Los Angeles for financial reasons, among others. Along the way, he managed to convince 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. Given that the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco have long been competitors in economic, cultural, and political arenas, the new venue in California became fertile ground for its transplantation.

Each team's ability to have endured for over a century while leaping across an entire continent, 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.

Unlike many other historic baseball match-ups in which one team remains dominant for most of their history, the Dodgers–Giants rivalry has exhibited a persistent balance in the respective successes of the two teams. While the Giants have more wins in franchise history, both National League West teams have each won eighteen National League Pennants, more than any other franchise, and six World Series titles. The 2010 World Series was the Giants first championship since moving to California, while the Dodgers' last title came in the 1988 World Series.

Interleague

Background

Early discussions about interleague play

Interleague or interconference matchups have long been the norm in other professional sports leagues such as the NFL. Regular season interleague play was discussed for baseball's major leagues as early as the 1930s. In December 1956, Major League owners considered a proposal by Cleveland general manager and minority-owner Hank Greenberg to implement limited interleague play beginning in 1958.

Under Greenberg's proposal, each team would continue to play 154-games in the season, 126 of which would be within the league, and 28 against the eight clubs. The interleague games would all be played during a period immediately following the All-Star Game. Notably, under Greenberg's proposal, all results would count in regular season game standings and league statistics. While this proposal was not adopted, the current system shares many elements. Bill Veeck predicted in 1963 that Major League Baseball would someday have Interleague play. The concept did not take hold until the 1990s (at least in part as an effort to renew the public's interest in MLB following the 1994 players' strike).

First Interleague games

MLB's first regular season interleague game took place on June 12, 1997, as the Texas Rangers hosted the San Francisco Giants at The Ballpark in Arlington. There were four interleague games on the schedule that night, but the other three were played on the West Coast, so the Giants–Rangers matchup started a few hours earlier than the others. Texas' Darren Oliver threw the game's first pitch and San Francisco outfielder Glenallen Hill was the first designated hitter used in a regular-season game by a National League team. San Francisco's Stan Javier hit the first home run in interleague play, and the Giants won the game, 4-3.

From 1998 to 2001, teams from the American League West played teams from the National League West, etc., typically scheduled to alternate between home and away in consecutive years. However, in 2002, the league began alternating which divisions played which divisions, and thus in 2002 the American League East played the National League West, the American League Central played the National League East, and the American League West played the National League Central. Matchups which had been of particular interest prior to this format—mainly geographic rivals—were preserved. This is expected to be the continuing format of the interleague schedule. Corresponding divisions however, were skipped once when this rotation began, but were put back in the rotation in 2006.

Since 2002, all interleague games have been played prior to the All-Star Game. Most games are played in June, though May games have been scheduled since 2005.

Bay Bridge Series: Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants

The Bay Bridge Series is the name of a series games played between—and the rivalry of—the Oakland Athletics of the American League and San Francisco Giants of the National League. The series takes its name from the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge which links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Although competitive, the regional rivalry between the A's and Giants is considered a friendly one with mostly mutual companionship between the fans, as opposed to White Sox–Cubs, or Yankees–Mets games where animosity runs high. Hats displaying both teams on the cap are sold from vendors at the games, and once in a while the teams both dress in uniforms from an historic era of their franchises.

The series is also occasionally referred to as the "BART Series" for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system that links Oakland to San Francisco. However, the name "BART Series" has never been popular beyond a small selection of history books and national broadcasters and has fallen out of favor. Bay Area locals almost exclusively refer to the rivalry as the "Bay Bridge Series".

Originally, the term described a series of exhibition games played between the two clubs after the conclusion of spring training, immediately prior to the start of the regular season. It was first used to refer to the 1989 World Series in which the Athletics won their most recent championship and the first time both teams had met since they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, it also refers to games played between the teams during the regular season since the commencement of interleague play in 1997. Through 2010, the A's have won 42 games, and the Giants have won 38.

Beltway Series: Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals

The Beltway Series (promoted by the Nationals as The Battle of the Beltways) is the name of the interleague series played between the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. The series name is taken from the two beltway highways, the Baltimore Beltway and the Capital Beltway, that service Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The Beltway Series is expected to become a regular rivalry series in Major League Baseball.

Citrus Series: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Florida Marlins

The Citrus Series is the name given to the series between the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, the two baseball teams that play in the state of Florida. The Marlins broke into the league in 1993, while the Rays had their first season in 1998. The first meeting between the two teams took place on June 22, 1998 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida during the Rays' inaugural season.

When the Marlins are the home team, games are played at Sun Life Stadium (as it is currently named), though it has been known by several names in its existence. Also note, that from 1998 until 2007, the Rays were known as the Devil Rays. Currently, because the Marlins play in the National League, and the Rays in the American League, the only possible postseason matchup the teams can have is in the World Series, though this has never happened as the two teams have yet to appear in the same postseason. Both teams have had appearances in the Fall Classic, however. The Marlins have won both of their World Series appearances in 1997 and 2003, while the Rays have lost their only appearance in 2008.

Crosstown Classic: Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox-Cubs Rivalry (also known as the BP Crosstown Cup, Crosstown Classic, The Windy City Showdown, Red Line Series, City Series, Crosstown Series, Crosstown Cup or Crosstown Showdown) refers to the rivalry between two Major League Baseball teams that play their home games in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs of the National League play their home games at Wrigley Field located on the city's North side, while the Chicago White Sox of the American League play their home games at U.S. Cellular Field (previously known as Comiskey Park) on the city's South side.

The terms "North Siders" and "South Siders" are synonymous with the respective teams and their fans, setting up an enduring rivalry. The White Sox currently lead the regular season series 41–37. There have been six series sweeps since interleague play began: four by the Cubs in 1998, 2004, 2007, and 2008, and two by the White Sox in 1999 and 2008. The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line runs north-south through Chicago's neighborhoods, stopping at Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field.

Freeway Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The term Freeway Series refers to a series of games played between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League. The series takes its name from the massive freeway system in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the home of both teams; one could travel from one team's stadium to the other simply by traveling along Interstate 5. The term is akin to Subway Series which refers to meetings between New York City baseball teams. The term "Freeway Series" also inspired the official name of the regions' NHL rivalry: the Freeway Face-Off, the showdown between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). The two teams have met 11 times in the World Series, more times than any other pair of teams from the American and National Leagues. The initial significance was embodied in the two teams' proximity in New York City, when the Dodgers initially played in Brooklyn. After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the rivalry retained its significance as the two teams represented the dominant cities on each coast of the United States, and since the 1980s, the two largest cities in the United States.

Although the rivalry's significance arose from the two teams' numerous World Series meetings, the Yankees and Dodgers have not met in the World Series since 1981. They would not play each other in a non-exhibition game until 2004, when they played a 3-game interleague series. Their last meeting was in June 2010.

New York Yankees vs. New York/San Francisco Giants

Though in different leagues, the Yankees historically have had a rivalry with the Giants, beginning as a regional rivalry before the Giants moved to the West Coast. Before the institution of interleague play in 1997, the two teams had little opportunity to play each other. However, they faced off in seven World Series, in 1921, 1922, 1923, 1936, 1937, 1951, and 1962. The Yankees won five of these series. The teams have only met twice in the regular season with the first meeting occurring in 2002 at the old Yankee Stadium. The teams met again at AT&T Park in 2007.

In his farewell speech, Lou Gehrig stated that the Giants were a team that " would give his right arm to beat, and vice versa."

Historical

City Series: Philadelphia Athletics vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The City Series was the name of a series of baseball games played between the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League that ran from 1903 through 1955. After the A's move to Kansas City in 1955, the City Series rivalry came to an end. The teams have since faced each other in Interleague play (since its introduction in 1997) but the rivalry has effectively died in the intervening years since the A's left Philadelphia.

The first City Series was held in 1883 between the Phillies and the American Association Philadelphia Athletics. When the Athletics first joined the American League, the two teams played each other in a spring and fall series. No City Series was held in 1901 and 1902 due to legal warring between the National League and American League.

Pearson Cup: Montreal Expos vs. Toronto Blue Jays

The Pearson Cup was an annual mid-season Major League Baseball exhibition game between former Canadian rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreal Expos. Named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, it was originally created to raise money for minor league baseball in Canada. In later years, it was incorporated into the interleague baseball schedule.

The series began in 1978, and ran for eight more seasons until 1986. Due to a strike, no game was played in 1981. In 2003 the series was revived as part of the Blue Jays-Expos interleague rivalry. It continued on into the 2004 season, before the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The cup is now on display in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

The All-Canadian series was part of the Toronto-Montreal rivalry, which has been seen in sports. Sports teams from Canada's two largest cities have been competing against each other as long as Canada has been a country (for example, the rivalries between the Toronto Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League and the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League).

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates was one of the best rivalries in the National League. The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered play in 1887, four years after the Phillies.

The Phillies and the Pirates had remained together after the National League split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969 to 1993), the two National League East division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, the Pirates 9, the Phillies 6; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span.

However, after the Pirates moved to the National League Central in 1994, the rivalry came to an end. The teams have since faced each other only in two series per year but the rivalry has effectively died in the intervening years since division realignment moved the Pirates out of the NL East.

See also

• List of sports rivalries
• Major League Baseball

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• Major League Baseball lists
• Major League Baseball rivalries