One of the most famous moments in the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers rivalry came in 1965 when Dodgers catcher John Roseboro (center) threw a ball past the ear of San Francisco Giants hitter Juan Marichal (left) and he came out swinging the bat on Roseboro’s head, Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax tried to intervene (ESPN still file photo)

Is the Giants vs. Dodgers Rivalry being replaced? 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary 

By Amaury Pi-González

 With the recent ascent of the San Diego Padres, who fully reloaded their team and spend big bucks during the off-season, it should be asked.  Is the Giants vs. Dodgers rivalry still tops in the National League. The SF vs. LA rivalry is one of the oldest in major league baseball, second only to the Yankees-Red Sox and in between the Cardinals and Cubs, and it continued when both teams moved to California in 1958.

From the early 1960’s Candlestick Park in the Bayview-Hunters Point, to the current Oracle Park something very interesting has been happening.  When the Giants host the Dodgers, Giants fans come out in droves to root their team and with the “Beat LA” chant you hear it all the time at Oracle.  

However, when it is the other way around, when the Giants played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Dodger fans are just there to root for their team but show not much passion against the Giants, the Giants became like any other team that is playing at Dodger Stadium.

Obviously there is a contingency of Giants fans that make the trips to LA as well as Dodgers fans who reciprocate. Maybe it is because Giants fans are more passionate, or is it an envy factor?  The Dodgers have won six World Series since they moved from Brooklyn to LA, while the Giants three in SF since they moved from the Polo Grounds in the Big Apple.  

Could it be the envy of success the main factor for Giants fans who hate the Dodgers with a passion?  It is all good, competition and passion should be part of the game. It is true that Dodgers fans usually leave games earlier at Dodger Stadium, it is the culture, LA is a car culture, the long commute, millions of cars in the freeways all the time, it is understandable.  

Most of the time the Giants vs. Dodgers rivalry has been a great one from New York to California. With some rare exceptions of violence among fans, most of the time is has been a healthy rivalry. Today the San Diego Padres, who have never won a World Series since they began as a major league franchise in San Diego in 1969, are considered one of the elite clubs in the game. 

All because, this past winter the San Diego Padres were the busiest team in baseball acquiring great talent, with the ownership opening their check books, definitely they are a team looking to go all the way and win that elusive first World Series. Padre’s shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the great talents in the game today and a franchise player who generates emotion and passion with his flair and style of play.

Yet, with all that talent the Padres have the pressure now to perform and win, because although on paper they look very solid, you do not play on paper, you play on the field. The Padres could replace the Giants as the ‘número uno’ rivalry against the Dodgers in the next few years.

Things evolve, there is a new generation of fans in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, the tradition of the rivalry still remains, while San Diego is soon becoming a hot bed for baseball. Yet, the Padres have not won the hardware they need to brag a little, like the World Series trophy.

 This 2021 season the Padres are going for it and the Giants are trying to compete inside a division the Dodgers have owned for eight consecutive years. No, the Giants are not rebuilding per say, but in a couple of years guys like Posey, Crawford, Belt and so on could be gone and then they will have to work on a system where they can content with the Dodgers.  

The Padres look much stronger than any other team in the western division, except the Dodgers. There is a re-alignment of rivalries starting this 2021, one is the Dodgers vs. Padres, and in the American League the old Yankee vs. Red Sox is more now, the Yankees vs. Rays. My grandfather Armando used to tell me, “Amaury, time changes things, nothing stays the same.”  He was correct. 

Amaury Pi Gonzaelz is the Spanish lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s on 1010 KIQI LaGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com