MLB Rivalries: New York Yankees Vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are an unusual rivalry. And yet the divide between the two MLB teams is one of the strongest in the sport.

The reason we call it unusual is due to the league separation. The Yankees are part of the American League, while the Dodgers are with the National League.

This means the two teams don’t play each other often, as their matches aren’t within the same schedules or circles.

So how did two teams from different leagues create such a powerful rivalry? Time for a history lesson.

The Move To New York City

Although the two teams are from different leagues, Major League Baseball has multiple chances for the AL and the NL to come together. One of these opportunities is the World Series.

This year, the World Series Odds favor the Dodgers over the Yankees, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see these two teams in the finals together for the first time since 1978.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the American League was just being created. The National League had been going on for generations, and this new idea in baseball hadn’t developed any ground roots yet.

They knew that the biggest baseball fanatics were in New York, so AL had to gain traction there. However, there were already two big baseball franchises in this area – the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Yankees (known as the Highlanders then), invited the Giants to play in their home stadium when a fire broke out on the Polo Grounds. As a thank you, the Giants granted them the same favor when the Polo Grounds was re-created.

From this budding friendship, the Highlanders were starting to gain traction and changed their name to the New York Yankees.

Tension started to grow as three successful teams were all housed in New York City, two of which were in the same stadium. The Yankees decided to move across the Harlem River to find a permanent home.

The Official First Meet

This history is important to the Yankees and Dodgers rivalry because although the teams hadn’t played together during the 1920s, they were very aware of each other. The Dodgers were not happy to have another rival on their turf.

The first time the two teams met was in the 1941 World Series. The Yankees had been leading the series, and throughout the game, you could see the players battling each other past reason. Each team made regrettable mistakes and in the end, the Yankees won.

“Wait Till Next Year”

It took 6 years for the Yankees and Dodgers to play against each other again. This time it was in the 1947 World Series, and Game 6 changed it all.

Al Gionfriddo from the Dodgers was defending and managed to steal a homerun from Joe DiMaggio. That home run would have tied the game. DiMaggio was visibly annoyed by the defensive moves, as this meant the Dodgers won the 6th Game and a 7th was needed to find a real winner.

In that final game, the Yankees won. This led to a string of World Series wins between 1949 and 1953, all in the Yankee’s favor, and most of which were against the Dodgers.

After every loss, the Dodger fans would cry “Wait Till Next Year”. It became a rally chant, a call to arms, a joke among fans, and a belief that one day they will win.

In 1955, the belief finally came true, as the Dodgers won the World Series against the Yankees. For the rest of that year, the fans changed “This IS next year”.

Of course, the change only lasted for a brief moment, as in 1956, the Yankees were back in the top spot as they beat the Dodgers 4-3 in the World Series.

The Move To Los Angeles

In 1958 the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles to collect two new dominant pitchers – Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. They also swapped out their aging players for a speedy shortstop and an outfielder like no other – Maury Wills and Tommy Davis.

This move proved profitable, as in 1963 this team of fresh-faced players dominated against the aging New York Yankees team. Beating them 4-0 in the World Series.

The Bronx Is Burning

In 1977 players Tommy Lasorda and Billy Martin had become managers for their old teams. These two amazing players still had bad blood between them, and the fist fights they endured in 1956 felt as fresh as the day they happened.

As the fights between the managers became personal, the actions of Billy Martin led the Yankees into a downward spiral. It wasn’t helped when New York City itself was also going through a financial crisis.

The phrase “The Bronx Is Burning” was being chanted from far and wide – including the Dodgers. And yet the Yankees powered through to the World Series to play against their rivals.

Summary

The real rivalry between the Yankees and the Dodgers was between 1947 and 1956 when the two teams were up against each other almost every year.

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