The Rivalry
Head-to-Head Wins

1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Total

65 80 88 106 98 137 117 83 108 95 70 94 19
 1160

72 128 125 113 120 82 106 108 72 79 70 86 20
 1181














17 Ties
Historical Moments

  • The Dodgers and Giants played each other for the first time on April 18, 1884, an exhibition game the Giants won, 8-0.
  • The first meaningful game between the two franchises was October 18, 1889 at the Polo Grounds in New York. It was the "World Series" between American Association Champion Brooklyn and National League Champion New York. Brooklyn won the game 12-10, but New York won the series 6 games to 3.  The series was marred by controversial calls from umpire John Gaffney who carried a grudge against New York's star player, John Montgomery Ward.  Game 1 of the series may have also witnessed the first ever seventh inning stretch.  As The Sporting News reported, "Somebody cried, 'Stretch for luck!' And instantly the vast throng on the grandstand rose gradually and then settled down."
  • The first official game was May 3, 1890 after Brooklyn joined the National League. They won at home, 7-3.
  • On June 12, 1890, Brooklyn defeated the Giants, 12-6, in the first game to feature a passionate dispute between the two clubs in the National League. It was ignited by Brooklyn third-base coach Darby O'Brien who pretended to be a base runner and drew a throw over to third.
  • On New Year's Day, 1898, the city of Brooklyn became a borough, part of greater New York City. Many Brooklynites continued to see themselves as residents of their own city, and later baseball would become a source of pride for the borough's residents. The Giants, located in Manhattan, and their fans would come to represent wealth and success, while the Dodgers and their faithful were synonymous with the underdogs of the working class. The cultural differences between the respective supporters fueled much of the passion in the stands during the inter-city games.
  • June 23, 1910, Giants third baseman Art Devlin ran into the stands to fight Bernard Roesler, a Brooklyn fan who had been heckling him.  Devlin knocked Roesler unconscious, more fans swarmed, and a full-scale brawl erupted as fellow Giants came to Devlin's aid.  Devlin was arrested and later paroled.
  • Opening Day of the 1912 season was so crowded that the police were called in for control and the game had to be called after six innings. Brooklyn lost to New York, 18-3.
  • Wilbert Robinson (Dodgers, then known as the Robins, Manager 1914-31) and John McGraw (Giants Manager 1902-32) constantly feuded in the media. Prior to becoming Brooklyn Manager, "Uncle Robbie" had been a Giants coach but was fired by "Little Napoleon", ending a 22-year friendship. One example of their bitterness came in 1916 when McGraw left mid-game during a Robins victory on October 3rd that clinched the pennant. McGraw said his players were laying down for Brooklyn while Robinson thought McGraw was jealous of his success. Robinson said that by leaving early, "He pissed on my pennant."
  • The Robins finished seven games ahead of the second-place Giants 1920, the first 1-2 finish in the rivalry.  The race was decided in the season's final week.
  • The teams finished 1-2 again in 1924, this time with the Giants claiming the pennant. This race was the first truly great duel, lasting until the second-to-last day of the season.
  • Brooklyn President Charles Ebbets died on the morning of April 18, 1925. The Robins were to play the Giants at Ebbets Field that day to begin a 3-game series. The games went on as scheduled because, as Wilbert Robinson said, "Charley wouldn't want anybody to miss a Giant-Brooklyn series just because he died."
  • A Dodgers 10-5 win over the Giants on the third-to-last day of the 1927 season ended New York's hopes for a pennant.  It was the first time one team was able to spoil the other team's pennant hopes at the end of the season.
  • Before the 1934 season, Giants Manager Bill Terry was asked about Brooklyn's chances in the pennant race. He answered, "Brooklyn? I haven't heard anything from lately. Are they still in the league?" This sparked a war of words, and a wager of two new suits, with Dodgers Manager Max Carey.  Brooklyn then spoiled the Giants' playoff hopes on the final day of the season, 8-5 in 10 innings.
  • The night of July 12, 1938, post office clerk Robert Joyce argued with the drinkers at Pat Diamond's Bar and Grill over the Dodgers' chances at finishing ahead of the Giants.  After being told that Brooklyn may never be good again, a drunk and enraged Joyce left the bar, gathered two guns, and killed the bartender William Diamond and customer Frank Harvey Krug.  It was the first of two known incidents where homicide can be partly blamed on the rivalry.
  • Opening Day of the 1939 season was broadcast on the radio for the first time in several years, a Giants 7-3 victory over the Dodgers.  The choice to use the airwaves to reach fans was the first of many innovations by Brooklyn executive Larry MacPhail that would soon shift the balance of power in the rivalry back to the Dodgers after years of Giants dominance.
  • In 1946, Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher coined the term, "Nice guys finish last," referring to Giants skipper Mel Ott - though he was actually misunderstood and misquoted.  When Durocher's Dodgers struggled early in the 1948 season, Dodgers management dismissed him. This led to one of the most stunning developments in the rivalry's history. In July, Ott was let go by owner Horace Stoneham, and was replaced by the hated ex-Dodger Durocher.
  • In 1951 the Giants came from 13 1/2 games back on August 11th to force a three-game playoff for the pennant. In the third game, played on October 3rd, Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" won the pennant for New York, 5-4. Thomson's home run capped a three-run ninth inning and is considered the perhaps greatest home run in baseball history.
  • The two teams finished 1-2 in '52 and '54, each team claiming a pennant.
  • December 13, 1956, Jackie Robinson was traded to the Giants but refused to report, opting instead to retire rather than play for the rival.
  • 1957: both teams move to California. Through conversations with Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley and the mayor of Los Angeles, San Francisco Mayor George Christopher discovered the Dodgers were considering a move to Los Angeles. O'Malley and Christopher convinced Giants owner Horace Stoneham that the two clubs should move to the west coast together. August 19, 1957, the Giants announced they were moving to San Francisco. October 8th, the Dodgers announced their move to Los Angeles.
  • Much like how the social/economic/cultural differences between the residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan created heightened fervor among each fan base, so too did the differences between those living in Los Angeles and San Francisco. LA embodied the Hollywood image and all that comes along with that, while SF strove to be the cultural and progressive capital of the West. Both cities compete for the economic and cultural crown of California.
  • Fans packed Seals Stadium in San Francisco for the first day of big league ball on the West Coast. On April 15, 1958, in that historic opener, San Francisco shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-0. The Dodgers played their first game in Los Angeles on April 18th, defeating the Giants 6-5 before 78,672 fans at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
  • With less than two weeks left in the 1959 season, the Giants held a 2 game lead over the Dodgers and hosted a three game series. The Dodgers swept all three in San Francisco to take over first place, where they finished.
  • They tied for first place again at the end of the 1962 regular season, forcing another three-game playoff. On October 3rd the Giants won game three, 6-4, after coming back from a 4-2 deficit entering the ninth. The go ahead run came across on a bases-loaded walk to Jim Davenport by Stan Williams.
  • August 22, 1965, in the middle of a pennant race, Giants pitcher Juan Marichal knocked down two Dodgers batters. Later in the game, Dodgers catcher John Roseboro buzzed a couple return throws to the pitcher by Marichal's ear and Marichal clubbed him over the head with a bat. It was one of baseball's most violent moments and it ignited a bench-clearing brawl.  Los Angeles would outlast San Francisco in 1965, thanks in part to Marichal's suspension and poor play once he returned.  The Dodgers clinched on the second-to-last day of the season.
  • The Dodgers won the pennant again in 1966, this time clinching on the last day of the season.
  • The Giants got revenge in 1971 in another race that wasn't decided until the season's final game.
  • During the summer of 1978 fans at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, known for their rowdiness when LA would come to town, were even more violent than usual. Following a game on May 26th, Dodgers outfielder Reggie Smith went into the stands after a fan that had been throwing objects onto the field. Smith would again fight a Giants fan in the stands in 1981, this time during the game. Smith was ejected and the instigator, Michael Dooley, was arrested.
  • In 1980 the Dodgers blew an 8th inning lead at San Francisco in the last game of the second-to-last series of the year. This 3-2 loss dropped the Dodgers 3 games behind the Astros and cost them the chance to win the division outright when they swept Houston in the final 3 games of the year. Instead, they were forced to play the Astros in a one game playoff, which they lost.
  • Both clubs were in a three-team race with the Atlanta Braves in 1982. The Dodgers eliminated the Giants on the second-to-last day of the season, 15-2. The Giants then returned the favor the following day, October 3rd, 5-3, thanks in part to a three-run home run by Joe Morgan known as "The Little Shot Heard 'Round the World."  It remains the only time both teams eliminated each other in the same season.
  • The Giants spoiled the Dodgers playoff hopes during the final week in 1990 by sweeping three games at home. San Francisco did it again in 1991 with a win on the next-to-last day of the season, 4-0.
  • The Dodgers got their chance to return the favor with a 12-1 win on October 3, 1993, the season's final day.  San Francisco was eliminated from the playoffs, despite winning 103 games that season.
  • The teams finished with the two top spots in the Western Division in the strike-shortened 1994 season with the Dodgers leading at the time of the stoppage.
  • San Francisco took first over Los Angeles in 1997 and 2000. In '97, a two-game sweep in late September by the Giants in Candlestick tied the race. The sweep was highlighted by Barry Bonds' post-home run twirl in game one and Brian Johnson's 12th inning walk-off home run to take game two, 6-5 (12 innings). The Giants then road that momentum into the playoffs.
  • A Wall Street Journal article in the Winter of 2001 detailed the sign stealing methods used by the New York Giants during their 1951 second-half comeback and their three-game playoff with the Dodgers. When asked by the Giants to participate in a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World," the Dodgers declined.
  • In 2001, the Dodgers eliminated the Giants in the final series of the season. This despite Barry Bonds hitting his record 71st home run of the season off Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.
  • The Dodgers finished second to the Giants for the 2002 Wild Card and the '03 Division Title.
  • On the second-to-last day in 2004, after trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers scored seven runs to win the game, 7-3, and the Western Division. The rally was capped by a walk-off grand slam by Steve Finley. The Giants finished second and were eliminated from the Wild Card the following day.
  • On Opening Day of the 2011 season two Dodgers fans severely beat Giants fan Bryan Stow in the Dodgers Stadium parking lot. Even though Dodgers fan Pete Marron shot and killed Giants fan Marc Antenorcruz after a game in LA on September 19, 2003 (the 2nd known murder due to the Dodgers-Giants rivalry), this was the incident that shocked and appalled the fans in both cities, and captured the attention of the national media. The following week, when Los Angeles began a three-game series in San Francisco, both teams joined together on the field in an unprecedented call for peace and civility from the fans.

    • 2012 Schedule
    The Dodgers lead the season series 2-1
    5/7
    		 SF 1, @LA 9
    		 8/20
    		 SF @LA
    5/8
    		 SF 2, @LA 1
    		 8/21
    		 SF @LA
    5/9
    		 SF 2, @LA 6
    		 8/22
    		 SF @LA
    6/25
    		 LA @SF
    		 9/7
    		 LA @SF
    6/26
    		 LA @SF
    		 9/8
    		 LA @SF
    6/27
    		 LA @SF
    		 9/9
    		 LA @SF
    7/27
    		 LA @SF
    		 10/1
    		 SF @LA
    7/28
    		 LA @SF
    		 10/2
    		 SF @LA
    7/29
    		 LA @SF
    		 10/3
    		 SF @LA

    Series Notes
    Dodgers
    		Giants



    671 (.482) New York Wins 722 (.518)
    489 (.516) California Wins 459 (.484)
    624-551-8 Home Record 630-536-9
    10141
    4.30/gm     		Runs Scored 10221
    4.33/gm
    348 1-Run Wins
    (30% of Total)     		347
    297 5+ Run Wins
    (25% of Total)     		300
    89
    		 Extra-Inning Wins*
    (4 Ties)     		76
    176 Shutouts Thrown 166
    306 Sept/Oct Wins
    (5 Ties)     		303
    0 Tiebreaker Playoff Wins 2
    10
    7/12/1953-9/6/53     		Longest Winning Streak 12
    10/2/1937-7/4/38
    21
    8/6/1894     		Most Runs Scored 26
    4/30/1944
    6 No-Hitters Thrown 2
    Highest Scoring Game: 34 Runs
    (Dodgers 19-15, 4/29/1930 & Giants 26-8, 4/30/1944)
    Longest Game*: 17 Innings
    (Dodgers 4-3, 9/4/1943)

    * Extra-inning game information incomplete (1918-Present)

    Season Series Records
    1890s Giants 5-3-2 1960s Giants 6-1-3
    1900s Giants 7-1-2 1970s Dodgers 6-1-3
    1910s Giants 8-2 1980s Dodgers 7-2-1
    1920s Giants 6-3-1 1990s Dodgers 4-3-3
    1930s Giants 6-3-1 2000s Dodgers 6-3-1
    1940s Dodgers 8-1-1 2010s Giants 1-0-1
    1950s
    		 Dodgers 7-3
    		 Totals Giants 52-51-19



    1-2 Finishes
    NL 1890-1968 NL West 1969-Present
    Wild Card 1994-Present
    1920 Dodgers by 7 games 1971 Giants by 1
    1924 Giants by 1.5 1994 Dodgers by 3.5
    1951 Giants by 1 (Playoff) 1997 Giants by 2
    1952 Dodgers by 4.5 2000 Giants by 11
    1954 Giants by 5 2002 Giants by 3.5 (WC)
    1962 Giants by 1 (Playoff) 2003 Giants by 15.5
    1965 Dodgers by 2 2004 Dodgers by 2
    1966 Dodgers by 1.5


    Season Finishes
    Both teams finished .500 or better in the same season
    47 times (39% of 122 seasons)
    Both teams finished below .500 in the same season
    7 times (6% of 122 seasons)
    The Dodgers finished with a better record in 59 seasons
    The Giants finished with a better record in 63 seasons



    Franchise Histories
    (NL Rank/MLB Rank); Through 2011


    First Year : 1884 (8/8) First Year : 1883 (6/6)
    Wins : 10217 (3/3) Wins : 10522 (1/1)
    Win Pct : .524 (2/3) Win Pct : .538 (1/2)
    Pennants : 22 (T1/T2) Pennants : 21 (3/4)
    World Series : 6 (T2/T5) World Series : 6 (T2/T5)
    Hall of Famers : 47 (2/2) Hall of Famers : 53 (1/1)

    		Players: 41
    		Players: 51

    		Managers: 6
    		Managers: 2

    Played As
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    (1958-Present)
    Brooklyn Dodgers
    (1911-12, 32-57)
    Brooklyn Robins
    (1914-31)
    Brooklyn Superbas
    (1899-1910, 13)
    Brooklyn Bridegrooms
    (1888-90, 96-98)
    Brooklyn Grooms
    (1891-95)
    Brooklyn Grays
    (1885-87)
    Brooklyn Atlantics
    (1884)     		San Francisco Giants
    (1958-Present)
    New York Giants
    (1885-1957)
    New York Gothams
    (1883-84)

    Retired Numbers
    1 Pee Wee Reese - Christy Mathewson
    2 Tommy Lasorda - John McGraw
    4 Duke Snider 3 Bill Terry
    19 Jim Gilliam 4 Mel Ott
    20 Don Sutton 11 Carl Hubbell
    24 Walter Alston 20 Monte Irvin
    32 Sandy Koufax 24 Willie Mays
    39 Roy Campanella 27 Juan Marichal
    42* Jackie Robinson 30 Orlando Cepeda
    53 Don Drysdale 36 Gaylord Perry


    		44 Willie McCovey

    * Retired by all other MLB teams

    Traitors
    219 players have played for both franchises
    16 players have played for both franchises exclusively






    During the epic 1962 pennant race, celebrated entertainer Danny Kaye - a Brooklyn native, Los Angeles transplant, and die-hard Dodgers fan - released this popular hit:
    "The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song (Oh really? No, O'Malley!)"



    Here is my interview with CBS Radio in Los Angeles from April 8, 2011 following the Bryan Stow beating:



    Please also check out Great-Sports-Rivalries.com






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