Top 5 All-Time Major League Baseball Rivalries

The history of baseball goes back to the 19th Century as the game eventually into America's "National Pastime". Over the years, rivalries have played a big role in the popularity of the game as well as brought the worst in some cases, too. The game has seen many changes over the years both on and off the field which included adding inter-league play in 1997. This list won't include inter-league rivalries. Here are my top 5 rivalries.....

5. Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem

The Angels came into the league as an expansion team in 1961, and were placed in the same league as the Athletics. The rivalry picked up a little steam in 1967 when the Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland, and when the two-division format was in effect beginning in 1969. In 1969, the Angels won two key games in September that helped finish off Oakland's run at winning the AL West which was won by the Minnesota Twins. Oakland came up short again in 1970, but reeled off five straight division titles after that. During the stretch, the Athletics won three straight World Series titles in 1972-74 becoming the last team to accomplish that feat. The Angels turned it around by the end of the decade winning the AL West helped by them beating Oakland ten of 13 times during that season. The Angels would win two more division titles in 1982 and 1986, but failed to make the World Series in those two seasons. Oakland would come back to win the AL West in 1988 and win the league pennant that year. In 1989, both teams contended for the division as the Athletics went 8-5 against the Angels to win it by eight games over their instate rivals in route to their fourth World Series title in Oakland. Oakland won their third straight AL pennant in 1990 as the Angels were rebuilding again. The Angels played the role of spoiler against Oakland in 1991 as they went 12-1 against them preventing the Athletics from winning the division for a fourth straight time. The Athletics won the division again in 1992, and wouldn't return to the playoffs for the rest of decade. Oakland made four straight playoff appearances between 2000-03. In 2002, the Angels finally won their first World Series title despite Oakland winning the division. Since that time, the rivalry has gotten much better since both have contended for the division. Although the rivalry is young and hasn't seen both have good seasons at the same time very often, the cultural differences in California as well as the big payroll in Los Angeles and small payroll in Oakland help make it a good one. Oakland leads the series 408-363 over the Angels.

4. Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets

The two teams first met in 1962 when the Mets came into the league as an expansion team. Throughout much of their history, both haven't been good at the same time during a season. It only took the Mets eight seasons to win their first World Series in 1969 beating the Baltimore Orioles in five games while the Phillies finished next to last in the NL East. The Phillies also finished in last place in 1973 when the Mets won their second NL pennant. As the 1970s went along, Philadelphia turned it around while the Mets fell off in with the Phillies winning their first ever World Series in their long history in 1980. The 1980s had seen the Phillies win make two more playoff appearances while the Mets won two at the end of the decade including when they won their second World Series title in 1986. By the end of the decade, the two teams engaged in brawls on the field with the most evident in a game in 1989 when former Met Roger McDowell and Gregg Jeffries went at it as the benches cleared. They brawled again the following season after both starting pitchers in that game threw at opposing batters which resulted in eight player fines. A trade between the two teams helped the Phillies rebuild when they acquired Lenny Dykstra for Juan Samuel in 1989 during a game against one another. The Phillies went to win another NL pennant in 1993 while the Mets hit rock bottom finishing with the worst record in the league. The Mets finished the decade on a high note making the playoffs in 1999 and appearing in the World Series the following year facing the cross-town Yankees. Both teams finally were good enough to contend in 2006 when the Mets won the NL East division. The following year, the Mets blew a huge division lead as the Phillies made the playoffs before they won their second World Series in 2008. The rivalry has extended beyond the field with managerial moves, and the two cities have generally had a dislike for one another, too. The Phillies lead the series with a 438-382-1 mark over New York.

3. Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals

This rivalry goes back to 1885 when the Chicago White Stockings of the National League played the St. Louis Browns of the American Association in what was a precursor to the modern-day World Series. A dispute in Game 2 led to a forfeit win for Chicago, but St. Louis protested that it didn't count as the series ended in a tie. The very next year, St. Louis won the only series between the two associations by beating Chicago, and the two clubs haven't met in a playoff game since. As the Cardinals joined the National League by 1892, the two have played in the same division since that time. The Cubs were the more successful team early on appearing in five World Series winning two of them before the Cardinals won their first in 1926. The Cubs appeared in five more World Series by 1945, but have yet to win another one since 1908. The Cardinals have been the National League's most successful franchise winning ten World Series in 17 appearances while the Cubs have mostly been a down team since last winning an NL pennant. The Cardinals Mark McGwire and Cubs Sammy Sosa famously chased each other for the home run record in 1998 which served as a catalyst in bringing back fans back to the game after the 1994 MLB strike. In recent years, unfortunate coincidences of death with Cardinal players forced the cancellation of two scheduled games against the Cubs in 2002 and 2007. While the Cardinals have been the most successful in terms of pennants, they still have by the Midwest's top baseball rivalry despite that both have somewhat mutual respect for one another compared to other rivalries. Despite the lack of pennants since last winning a World Series in 1908, the Cubs still hold a 1,082-1,038-17 regular season record over the Cardinals.

2. San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers

This rivalry may quite possible be the most unique in all of sports. Neither team has dominated the other, and the fact that they've taken it into two entirely different markets on each coast makes it standout amongst the best rivalries ever. Each team has played spoiler in preventing the other from winning a pennant throughout their history, too. It all began in the American Association in 1883 before both the Dodgers moved into the National League in 1890. At the turn of the century, the Giants were the more successful team winning their first World Series in 1905 and four more by 1954. Before moving to the West Coast, the Giants held a 722-671 record over the Dodgers. It was the Giants that won the famous three-game playoff in 1951 when Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard Round The World" to clinch the NL pennant over the Dodgers. A year after the Giants last won a World Series, the Dodgers won their first in 1955. Both the Dodgers and Giants decided to move to Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1958 much to the chagrin of New York fans. Los Angeles and San Francisco have long had political and economic differences, and this rivalry had no trouble continuing at those cities. The Dodgers have won five World Series in their new city while the Giants have never won one in San Francisco. The Giants did play spoiler once again to the Dodgers in 1980 with a key win late in the season in which Los Angeles eventually lost in a one-game playoff to Houston. The Dodgers prevented a 103-win Giants team from making the playoffs in 1993 when Los Angeles won the final game of a four game series that allowed the Atlanta Braves to win the NL West. Dodgers Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson was to be traded to the Giants, but chose to retire instead of joining a rival team. Years later, Giants Hall of Famer Willie Mays retired when he heard about being traded to Los Angeles. As of now, the Giants hold a 1080-1068-12 record in their history. However, the Dodgers have won one more World Series titles, and hold a 450-423 record since they both relocated to California. Those records show the competitiveness of both franchises.

1. New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox

It shouldn't shock anyone this one is first on the list despite the fact that New York has dominated the series as well as out-distanced everyone in total pennants. The two cities have had a general dislike for one another since American Revolution, and no two teams from those cities epitomize that more than the Yankees and Red Sox. It was Boston who was the more dominant franchise early on winning five World Series titles before Red Sox owner Harry Frazee famously sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. The Yankees reeled off 26 World Series before Boston won another pennant in 2004 after the selling. The Yankees eliminated the Red Sox from winning pennant in 1978 after Boston at one time held a 14 and a half game lead in the AL East. Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent broke the hearts of Red Sox fans hitting a three-run home run in a one-game playoff that year. New York's Aaron Boone hit a game-winning home run in the deciding Game 7 of the American League Championships Series between the two teams preventing another chance for Boston to win a pennant in 2003. The Red Sox finally avenged years of frustration and disappointment in 2004 when they became the first team in league history to overcome 3-0 ALCS deficit over the Yankees in route to their first World Series since 1918. The Red Sox followed with another World Series in 2007 before New York won it all again in 2009. Many bench-clearing brawls have taken place between the two teams as the hatred between them is debated as much as any in sports. New York leads the regular season series with a 1,119-934-14 record and 11-8 post-season mark, too.

Others I considered:
Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins

Sources:
Baseball-reference Head-to-Head Records
Red Sox versus Yankees site
Dodgers-Giants: Baseball's Greatest Rivalry
BaseballLibrary.com: The Chronology: 1885
Sosa-McGwire home run chase
Mets Lose Brawl-Filled Finale
Eight fined for Phillies-Mets brawl
Phillies-Mets rivalry building intensity