B/R Exclusive: Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants Talk MLB Rivalry
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants renewed their rivalry once again this week when the defending World Series champions paid a two-game visit to Dodger Stadium and left with two wins in their back pocket.
Much of the talk surrounding the games centered on the status of Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who was brutally assaulted in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day by two men who remain at large. Stow has since been airlifted to a hospital in San Francisco, where doctors say his condition is improving, slowly but surely.
That moment stands as one of the more embarrassing blemishes on the face of a rivalry that has its origins back in the days when the two teams faced off as crosstown rivals in New York City.
Of course, not one of the current players on either roster was even alive back in those days, but that doesn't mean they don't have something to say about what it means to be a Dodger or a Giant when these two clubs get together.
I had a chance to talk to players on both teams Thursday, at a 3-1 Giants victory, to get their feelings about the rivalry, memorable moments and whether the tone has changed at all now that the Giants are defending champs.
Read on to find out what they had to say!
Giants Pitcher Matt Cain
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What's your perspective on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry?
You know, when you first get here, you don’t really recognize it. You know it’s there, but you don’t feel it until you start playing against the same guys for a couple years. Then you really start to see the deep-rootedness of how the rivalry goes along. It’s always awesome when it’s the Giants and the Dodgers. When you get the same teams playing , the same group of guys playing each other, that’s when it’s fun to watch.
What was your perspective on the rivalry before you came up to the big club?
I thought about it a little bit. It’s something you definitely knew, coming through the minor leagues, you’re playing the Dodgers teams or whatever. It was still always the Giants-Dodgers, kind of a little rivalry even in the minor leagues. Then you get to the big leagues, and it’s definitely magnified. It’s cool to be able to see both sides of now, finally go home into San Fran and see all of our guys and our fans so pumped up about it but also being able to come to LA and see it here as well, so it’s definitely always fun.
Have you seen a change in the rivalry now that you guys are World Series champs?
Not that I can think of. You still always want the bragging rights. It doesn’t really matter what the team does the year before or whatever, but you always want the bragging rights
Dodgers First Baseman James Loney
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What's your perspective on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry?
It’s pretty good. You know, the fans are pretty entertained, they get pretty riled up. Obviously, it was unfortunate with the incident and all, but it usually provides for a pretty entertaining atmosphere.
Have you noticed any change in the rivalry now that the Giants are World Series champs?
I think, maybe from a media perspective, it’s been blown up. We’re just trying to win every single game we can.
Any moments from the rivalry that stand out in your mind?
I remember both benches cleared a few years ago, but nothing too bad, other than some good games.
Giants Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez
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What's your take on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry?
It’s all about just playing the game. It’s not about fighting or hitting people. That’s not the point. The point is just to play the game with energy. The fans enjoy it, the fans love it. They love the game, and that’s the way we’ve got to play, but there are some people that go too far, fighting out there for no reason. Just be friends. You can’t do that. You’ve got to come to the ballpark and just enjoy the game. That’s the point of the game.
Any extra motivation playing the Dodgers?
Every game is important. Every time I go out there, I give 100 percent. I know we’ve had that rivalry since we played in New York a long time ago. It’s like any other game. We want to beat them. I mean, they’re pretty good too, so you’ve just got to play the game.
Has the rivalry changed at all now that you guys are World Series champs?
It’s changed for us a lot. I mean, everybody wants to beat us now. Nobody likes us now that we’re the champions, so it’s going to be there the whole year, you know. Everywhere we go, everybody wants to beat us, but it’s going to be a competition the whole year. It’s not only the Dodgers that want to beat us; it’s everybody else.
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Dodgers Rookie Jerry Sands
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What are your feelings about the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, as someone who is relatively new to it?
Obviously, it’s two historic franchises. The rivalry is one of the best. It’s gone back so many years. It’s two good ball clubs competing so it’s fun.
Is there any extra motivation to win when you're playing San Francisco?
Yeah, I mean, there’s always motivation. Game to game, there’s going to be motivation, but it is a rivalry, so I’m sure there’s a little bit more will to win, per se. But we’re going out, still trying to win every day.
Any moments that stick out?
No, I mean, last night’s game was obviously disappointing with us coming back and we end up losing, but I haven’t been in it long enough to get a big moment out of it.
Giants Outfielder Nate Schierholtz
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What does the Dodgers-Giants rivalry mean to you?
Well, I have a little different perspective since I grew up in the Bay Area, growing up watching games and going to games as a kid. They were always the must-watch games all year. It’s big for me. I mean, I enjoy playing at Dodger Stadium and at home against the Dodgers.
Is there any extra motivation to win when you're playing LA?
I mean, obviously we want to win every game, but there is a rivalry, and it’s a big deal to us to win games in our division, especially against the Dodgers.
Has the rivalry changed at all now that you guys are World Series champs?
No, I don’t think so. I think it’s always been there and it’s always going to be there, so whether we win or they win, whatever happens it’s always going to be around.
Any particular moments or players that stand out?
I mean, I watched the Giants from 1990 through the minor leagues. There’s a lot of good and bad moments for both teams. Nothing really stands out, but I do enjoy the games and the atmosphere.
Dodgers Outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr.
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What does the Dodgers-Giants rivalry mean to you?
I mean, now it’s a little different. It’s a new thing to me. Prior to getting over here, I never really paid much attention to it, but you always knew it was a big rivalry just from watching TV, watching the games, watching the intensity of the crowd when they were playing, so I mean it’s a lot of fun to be a part of it.
Any fuel added to the fire now that the Giants are World Series champs?
I noticed it in those first couple series when they came here and we went there, but since then, things have kind of tempered down because of the fight that happened and, you know,, it was so tragic, it’s kind of hard to take it in those same terms anymore, I think, at least in my opinion.
It doesn’t seem as though the intensity is as high as it was those first two times we played them, but it’s also May. It could have been that early-season feeling, and maybe it’ll get back to that when we get towards the end here. That I don’t know, but it seems like it’s not as intense, like yesterday, it didn’t seem the same as it was earlier.
I’m sure that’ll change in September when you guys play the Giants again.
Yeah, hopefully we’ll both be in the thick of things, so that’ll just add to it.
Any moments that stand out in your mind?
You know, I thought the public service announcement we did in San Francisco, when both teams came out to the mound, was pretty cool. I had never been a part of anything like that before. Although it sucks to have to do something like that as a result of what happened, it still was pretty cool to be a part of it, trying to get everybody to keep the peace.
Giants Infielder Pablo Sandoval
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What's your take on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry?
I’ve been here in the big leagues since 2008, when it was pretty intense. Every guy is playing to win. It’s important for us to win these games.
Any change since winning the World Series?
You know, we play with the same intensity every moment, no matter if we were the champions. We want to play hard every game, especially these games we play against the Dodgers, we want to play hard every game. We want to win the series and stay in first place ahead of the Dodgers.
Any particularly memorable moments?
I mean, every game is special. Last year was a little bit more intense for us, beating the Dodgers at home when we were in a pennant race. This was one of the moments I’ll never forget.
Dodgers Infielder Jamey Carroll
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What's your take on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, as someone who is relatively new to it but has been around the NL West for a while?
Well, I think it’s a great thing in sports. You know, you see the impact it has on the fans so it just drives you that much deeper into it, and I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s a divisional opponent that you know that whenever you play them, it’s going to be a pretty intense game.
Has the Giants winning World Series changed the rivalry at all?
I don’t know. I don’t think we go out there and play with that mindset of it. You know, it’s just another game. We’ve got to go out there and be competitive, and I think even for them they know that was last year and this year is a whole new year.
Are there any moments that stand out for you?
No, I think the main thing is that it’s a tad bit more intense, and I think it’s fun because it’s a divisional game and now they’re ahead of us, so it just makes them feel a little bit more important, even though they shouldn’t be.
Giants Catcher Buster Posey
9 of 10
What are your feelings about the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, as someone who is relatively new to the whole thing?
Well, I mean, I know there’s a lot of history in the rivalry. I mean, that’s what makes it fun for us as players, you know, but we try to treat it as any other game and go out and, you know, approach it the same way as we would if we were playing the Diamondbacks or the Rockies or the Padres. It’s a division game, so that in itself is big for us.
Are there any moments from the rivalry that stand out in your mind?
I mean, it seems like just within the year I’ve been here, there have been a lot of games that have been decided late, in late innings, like last night, obviously. I think that’s probably what stands out, just that we’ve played some tight games.
Dodgers Pitcher Clayton Kershaw
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What's your perspective on the Dodgers-Giants rivalry?
I think rivalries are more fan-related than anything. You can always tell that the fans love these games. You know, it’s more intense, especially since the Giants won the World Series. It’s something that heightened the rivalry a little bit more.
Has the Giants winning the World Series changed anything as far as the way you guys approach the games?
You know, they’re the team to beat as far as being the best. They won the World Series, so they’re the team to beat, but at the same time, a win’s a win, so it doesn’t really matter who you beat, so it didn’t really change too much.
Any moments in particular that stand out in your mind?
No, not really. I think with Bryan Stow getting injured in the parking lot kind of brought our teams together a little bit, trying to make everybody understand that while it is a rivalry on the field, it’s not off the field. It’s something that’s unfortunate to see happen and hopefully we can stop that from happening.
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