NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium · Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team in the National League West division.
NL West Rivalry
Dodgers–Giants
Baseball's oldest rivalry, coast to coast
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, two National League West franchises whose feud began in 19th-century New York and moved west together in 1958. It is one of the oldest and most heated rivalries in American professional sports.
The Rivalry
The rivalry began when both teams played in the New York City area, the Giants in Manhattan and the Dodgers in Brooklyn. Its most famous chapter came in 1951, when Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World," capped a stunning Giants surge past the Dodgers. After the 1957 season both clubs relocated to California, transplanting the feud to the West Coast and adding a Northern California versus Southern California dimension. The intensity carried over, marked by Juan Marichal's 1965 bat-swinging attack on Dodgers catcher John Roseboro. The rivalry runs hot because the two teams share a division, the regular-season series has stayed remarkably close over more than 130 years, and pennant races have repeatedly come down to head-to-head meetings.
What's at Stake
The Dodgers and Giants compete in the NL West, so their many annual meetings directly affect the division title and postseason positioning. The matchup also channels California's enduring Los Angeles versus San Francisco divide, two cities with distinct identities and proud fan bases. With both franchises perennial contenders, every series carries playoff implications, and their all-time regular-season record has remained nearly dead even.
Famous Moments
- 1951 — Bobby Thomson's ninth-inning home run, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World," won the pennant playoff for the Giants over the Dodgers.
- 1962 — The Giants won a three-game tiebreaker playoff over the Dodgers to capture the National League pennant.
- 1965 — Giants pitcher Juan Marichal struck Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with his bat, sparking a brawl.
- 1982 — Joe Morgan's late three-run homer for the Giants on the season's final day knocked the Dodgers out of the division race.
- 2021 — The Dodgers edged the Giants in a five-game NLDS, the rivals' first postseason series.
The Two Teams
Plan the Trip
A Dodgers-Giants series is a West Coast bucket-list trip. Dodger Stadium, opened in 1962, sits in the hills above downtown Los Angeles with sweeping views. San Francisco's Oracle Park offers one of baseball's most scenic settings, perched on the bay where home runs splash into McCovey Cove. Pairing either ballpark with its host city, and timing a visit to a head-to-head series, captures one of the sport's signature rivalries.
Frequently Asked Questions: Dodgers–Giants
The two teams first met in 1890. The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, two National League West franchises whose feud began in 19th-century New York and moved west together in 1958. It is one of the oldest and most heated rivalries in American professional sports.
The Dodgers and Giants compete in the NL West, so their many annual meetings directly affect the division title and postseason positioning. The matchup also channels California's enduring Los Angeles versus San Francisco divide, two cities with distinct identities and proud fan bases. With both franchises perennial contenders, every series carries playoff implications, and their all-time regular-season record has remained nearly dead even.
Yes — as NL West division rivals they face off many times across the 2026 MLB season.
Los Angeles Dodgers host at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles; San Francisco Giants play at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
