For a few of the Friar Devoted, the 2025 Main League Baseball season formally begins with the primary collection between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. So, I hope everybody will take part welcoming the staff from up north to our pleasant confines of Petco Park this Monday night time. Let’s make their three-day keep within the Gaslamp Quarter as depressing as potential.
The rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres has turn out to be one of the best in baseball. It has gained fame from the extreme postseason contests. As soon as once more, each groups will butt heads as they battle for the Nationwide League West division crown.
The rivalry dates again to the Enlargement Period
The long-standing rivalry dates again to the Friars’ inception in 1969. At first, the collection was named “the I-5 Collection” because of the freeway that linked Dodger Stadium and San Diego Stadium. Nonetheless, Dodger followers thought-about the San Francisco Giants to be their important rival due to their days collectively in New York. However that modified when the groups met with one thing on the road.
The Friars have loved celebrating a division title at Dodger Stadium. In 1996, the Padres had been two video games behind the Dodgers within the standings. The ultimate collection of the common season was at Chavez Ravine. The Friars proceeded to comb the three-game set to seize the NL West. It was becoming that former Dodger Chris Gwynn delivered the game-winning hit in additional innings.
For the reason that pandemic-shortened season, they’ve confronted each other 3 times within the postseason. The Padres have skilled a division spherical exit in two of these postseason collection: 2020 and 2024. Every common and postseason recreation has been tense and stuffed with controversy.
Tensions rose between the 2 groups following a crying meme of Dodgers Clayton Kershaw proven on the left-field scoreboard at Petco Park after an early-season Padres victory in 2023. The Dodgers weren’t amused and proceeded to win 10 of the subsequent 12 video games within the season collection.
Who may overlook final October’s incident involving Manny Machado? He was accused of throwing a baseball at Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts inside their dugout. It appeared like a innocent motion, however Roberts used the controversy to fireside up his staff. The Dodgers bullpen responded by throwing 24 shutout innings towards the Friars.
The Dodgers and Padres have a powerful rivalry, partially as a result of the groups genuinely dislike each other. It’s not contrived for nationwide TV scores. You possibly can minimize the stress with a knife as neither staff takes the opposite with no consideration.
It looks as if every staff’s superstars are on the middle of each controversy that takes place. Who would be the subsequent participant that creates the next-day headlines within the rivalry?
Dodgers and Padres constructed to win
The media views the rivalry as a David versus Goliath however that’s the furthest from the reality. Each groups anticipate to play October baseball.
The Padres roster is constructed via trades, their minor league system, and key free-agent signings whereas the Dodgers are a brilliant staff. The group will overspend on free brokers to fill their roster. There may be by no means worry of ever exceeding the wage funds limits as a result of none have been established.
Nonetheless, neither staff subscribes to this notion because the rivalry is just not that straightforward to outline. Every has grown uninterested in the opposite crushing their postseason goals.
Each fan bases are minimize from the identical material. They fill their respective stadiums with SRO crowds on a nightly foundation and worth the arduous work proven by their staff’s star gamers in sustaining their excellence. The shut proximity of the 2 cities makes the rivalry deep-rooted, as each fan bases have infiltrated the opposition’s residence park. And naturally, a commotion will happen within the stands.
The Dodgers and Padres are endlessly linked in baseball folklore as they discover a strategy to meet within the postseason. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter for those who’re witnessing a daily or postseason recreation. It is going to at all times be a memorable affair. Monday marks one other chapter on this rivalry’s wealthy historical past.
If luck may have it, these two groups will meet once more this October.
