Next I move on to my first favorite professional sports league as a child, the Major Baseball League. As a baseball fan and a Cubs fan in the early 1990s, I came to understand and love everything about the major leagues. I remember collecting baseball cards was quite a big deal in those days and I was very proud of my collection.
I followed the stats and the standings in the newspapers, long before there was internet or social media. I even set a goal in my early teenage years to visit every professional stadium. So far I have been to 6 (Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field, New York Yankees Stadium, SF Giants Candlestick Park, SF Giants AT&T Park, Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium, Cincinnati Reds Riverfront Stadium)
However this post is not about my long standing fanhood of the MLB yet rather the greatest rivalries in the league. One thing that makes the MLB so special is that it is one of the oldest standing professional leagues in this country, dating back to the 1880s. Baseball has had its many legendary teams and players but its the fan-base that carries on the traditions. One of these great traditions is the rivalry towards other teams. The first 3 on this list are miles ahead of the rest in my opinion but the others are still worth mentioning.
Major League Baseball
1. New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
2. San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals
4. Oakland Athletics vs San Francisco Giants ("Bay Bridge Series")
5. Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates
6. New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox ("The Crosstown Classic")
8. New York Mets vs New York Yankees ("The Subway Series")
9. New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies
10. Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros ("The Lonestar Series")
Honorable Mention
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays
Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs ("I-94 Series")
Baltimore Orioles vs Washington Nationals ("Beltway Series")
Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Indians ("Ohio Cup")
Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals ("Show-Me Series")
Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
However this post is not about my long standing fanhood of the MLB yet rather the greatest rivalries in the league. One thing that makes the MLB so special is that it is one of the oldest standing professional leagues in this country, dating back to the 1880s. Baseball has had its many legendary teams and players but its the fan-base that carries on the traditions. One of these great traditions is the rivalry towards other teams. The first 3 on this list are miles ahead of the rest in my opinion but the others are still worth mentioning.
Major League Baseball
1. New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
- Overall Record: Yankess lead 1214-1029-14
- First match-up ever played: April 26th, 1901
- Total Meetings: 2257
- Total championships for New York Yankees: 27
- Total championships for Boston Red Sox: 9
2. San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers- Overall Record: Giants lead 1243-1213-17
- First match-up ever played: May 3rd, 1890
- Total Meetings: 2473
- Total championships for San Francisco Giants: 8
- Total championships for Los Angeles Dodgers: 6
- Overall Record: Cubs lead 1230-1171-19
- First match-up ever played: April 12th, 1892
- Total Meetings: 2420
- Total championships for Chicago Cubs: 3
- Total championships for St. Louis Cardinals: 11
- Overall Record: Athletics lead 63-57
- First match-up ever played: Oct 9th, 1905
- Total Meetings: 120
- Total championships for Oakland Athletics: 9
- Total championships for San Francisco Giants: 8
5. Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates
- Overall Record: Pirates lead 1216-1063
- First match-up ever played: May 30th, 1887
- Total Meetings: 2279
- Total championships for Philadelphia Phillies: 2
- Total championships for Pittsburgh Pirates: 5
6. New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- Overall Record: Yankees lead 44-34
- First match-up ever played: Oct 1st, 1941
- Total Meetings: 78
- Total championships for New York Yankees: 27
- Total championships for Los Angeles Dodgers: 6
- Overall Record: White Sox lead 60-58
- First match-up ever played: Oct 9th, 1906
- Total Meetings: 118
- Total championships for Chicago Cubs: 3
- Total championships for White Sox: 3
8. New York Mets vs New York Yankees ("The Subway Series")- Overall Record: Yankees lead 69-49
- First match-up ever played: June 16th, 1997
- Total Meetings: 118
- Total championships for New York Mets: 2
- Total championships for New York Yankees: 27
9. New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies - Overall Record: Phillies lead 508-479
- First match-up ever played: April 27th, 1962
- Total Meetings: 953
- Total championships for New York Mets: 2
- Total championships for Philadelphia Phillies: 2
- Overall Record: Rangers lead 109-77
- First match-up ever played: June 8th, 2001
- Total Meetings: 186
- Total championships for Texas Rangers: 0
- Total championships for Houston Astros: 1
Honorable Mention
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays
Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs ("I-94 Series")
Baltimore Orioles vs Washington Nationals ("Beltway Series")
Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Indians ("Ohio Cup")
Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals ("Show-Me Series")
Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
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