Talk:List of Major League Baseball rivalries


 * why are some rivalries that are still being played considered "defunct"? Phildm (talk) 22:42, 18 May 2008 (UTC)PhilDM
 * This page needs major clean up. Most of the "rivalries" listed are nothing more then one team playing another. They don't qualify as a "rivalry". Gateman1997 21:11, 21 July 2005 (UTC)
 * How about everybody vs. the Yankees. DiceDiceBaby 15:43, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
 * People can't seem to agree on the rivalries, not even in team articles. This is the kind of POV I'm trying to show about this article. Win777 16:27, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Try looking most of these up by using the name as an exact phrase search, and you won't find them. Example: Search "Citrus Derby" (WITH quotes) on Google, and you won't find it. What you'll find is where this so-called "rivalry" was created on Wikipedia. The rivalries that are "real," like the "Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry," will be found on Google. Win777 17:04, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Indeed. One of the earlier "rivalries" listed was A's-White Sox... Last time I checked they are not rivals. Unless Chicago suddenly pissed off Oakland when I wasn't looking. Most of these need to be deleted, especially the reds, they're not true rivalries.Gateman1997 17:47, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
 * There's even a "Disco Demolition Rivalry". Wow... Ridiculous. Win777 18:10, 22 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Other than their creations in Wikipedia, the following "rivalries" were not found on Google (or found too few times to constitute an actual "rivalry" or what I believe is not a rivalry at all): Citrus Derby, Baltimore-Washington Derby, East Meets West, Bill Buckner Rivalry, Blue Jays-Nationals Rivalry, SoCal Series, Keystone State Cup, Braves-Cardinals Showdown, Giants-Pirates Rivalry, Ohio River Showdown, Pine Tar Incident, I-35 Series and Red Sox-White Sox Rivalry. Win777 02:02, 23 July 2005 (UTC)
 * I believe the following are not rivalries. I see them as names for a set of games when the teams play each other. (Example: Yankees-Rockies Series would not be a rivalry. It's just a name for the series when the two come together. May also apply to some in the above list. The fact that they play together does not make a rivalry.): Brewers-Cubs Series, Rockies-Diamondbacks Series, Cardinals-Dodgers Series, Braves-Dodgers Series, Angels-Rangers Series, Red Sox-Blue Jays, White Sox-Twins Series, Indians-Tigers Series, Twins-Indians Series, Royals-White Sox Series, Yankees-O's Series, and Mariners-A's Series. I'd like some verification/opinion. Win777 02:02, 23 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Brewers-Cubs is most definitely a rivalry. Take a look at attendance figures for Milwaukee when the Cubs are in town - they sell out every time. Do a search for "I-94 Series", and you'll see mentions of the rivalry as well. -- GreenLocust 23:43, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Attendance generally goes up wherever the Cubs go. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.118.71.32 (talk) 10:11, 14 October 2007 (UTC)
 * I disagree, attendance spikes because it's easier for Cubs fans to get tickets at Millar Park than Wrigley Field. The onyl rival of the Cubs is the Cardinals. The Brewers are just an annoyance. 204.58.233.6 (talk) 18:27, 3 June 2008 (UTC)
 * A few you list I would classify as rivalries. Mariners-A's is a pretty well known rivalry. Most years both teams are locked in battle for the AL West, much like the A's-Angels Series, and until recently it was much more heated (The Mariner's current state has dulled it recently). Braves-Dodgers may also qualify. Until the expansion of the league Atlanta and LA were often locked in battle over the old NL West. Some of the old resentments among fans still exist in that one as well, however they've dulled with the expansion of the league. Yankees-O's may also be valid, but then Yankees-ANYONE is a rivalry to the fans of the opponent.Gateman1997 09:51, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

VfD debate link
This article has been kept following this VFD debate. Sjakkalle (Check!)  11:04, 29 July 2005 (UTC)

Tougher qualifications to be defined as a "rival"
I'm probably going to take quite a bit of flack, but I removed a few rivalries that seem to dilute the integrity of this topic. Milwaukee fans may flip, but I removed the Brewers-Cubs rivalry mainly because I have never heard of a Cubbie fan speak of such rivalry. A one-sided passion does not a rival make. If any Cubbie fans wish to justify the validity of such a rival, speak up. Bears-Packers it is not. I put a loose definition (that I'm sure will be tweaked) in the intro just to introduce some guidelines. I'm not sure that Atlanta-LA is really a heated rivally; again, if any Dodger fans wish to validate it, then so be it. Let's hear from both sides of the country. I am a little hesitant on some of the NL/AL rivalries because 1) they are so new, 2) some of these teams have never been to a WS much less met up in a WS, and 3) who knows how long interleague is going to last. I almost removed the Beltway Series, but then I changed my mind.  Since I have no idea who plays in that rivalry, I can't judge if it is not a rivalry.  Please nobody fire bomb me, for baseball 'tis but a game.  The floor is open for debate.--CrazyTalk 03:15, August 23, 2005 (UTC)
 * PS - I know GreenLocust will dispute the Brewers-Cubs, but I've seen his contributions, I think he's President of Wisconsin or something ;) . I just want a Cubs fan's input, that's all.--CrazyTalk 03:30, August 23, 2005 (UTC)


 * I don't have a problem with those qualifications, if that's what people generally agree on. However, it's nonsensical to include Twins-Chisox under those criteria. "All games nearly sell out"? Please. Here, I'll help you: Minnesota game logs from 2004. Notice how only one game cracks 30K (barely), and the rest vary from the high teens to mid-20s? Lots of passion there. Hm, maybe that was a fluke, even though the two teams finished 1st and 2nd that year. How about 2003? One well-attended series (down the stretch, as the two fought for the division title), but the others in the familiar low-to-mid 20s (plus one with a whopping 13K - it must have been raining in the Dome that day). Ok, surely things were much more heated a generation ago. Let's try 1985. I was right, things were different. 8K apiece in the late season, with barely 10K for games in Chicago. This is definitely a rivalry that will be talked about generations from now, as current Twins fans will sit their grandchildren on their knee, and regale them with tales of how they could grab nearly any seat in the house when the hated rival Hose came to town, or get an entire section all to themselves. Those were the days, Jimmy, those were the days.
 * For the sake of comparison, let's see Milwaukee's 2004. Wow, those Cubs games sure pack 'em in. And yes, I know that a lot of that is Cubs fans coming up from Chicago, but so what? That's what rivalries induce. It's not Bears-Packers, but more like Vikings-Packers, where yes, one side takes it a bit more seriously than the other (which always happens when there is a large disparity in recent performance), but I don't think that precludes it from being a rivalry worth mention. In short, if Twins-Chisox qualifies (for which no Twins or Sox fan has even bothered to take a few minutes to put together an article, the passion is so strong), which no one seems to even question, then so should Brewers-Cubs. -- GreenLocust 18:49, 23 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Nobody cares about the Twins-White Sox rivalry because the Twins aren't the focal point of attention in the Twin Cities. People here only think about Purple all year long.

But for those that are Twins fans, the White Sox are loathed. Twins fans have booed White Sox fans on the train ride home from the game, even when they weren't playing eachother.

It's a true rivalry.

And if you think the Packers-Vikings rivalry is one sided, go to Madison wearing a Vikings jersey drunk and saying "We're not the Packers main rivals" in the middle of a typical Wisconsin bar.

Chances are, you'll be in the hospital long before the alcohol poisoning sets in.

ColdRedRain 07:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)


 * I can't see how the Beltway Series could be a rivalry, under the qualifications used in the article. From 1971 until 2005, there was only one team near the Washington, DC beltway:  The Orioles.  Prior to 1971, it doesn't seem like the Senators (the team now known as the Texas Rangers) were competitive enough to be much of a challenge for the O's.  Maybe before the older Senators moved to Minnesota... but then, neither team was very strong then, and technically there was no "beltway" before 1961 (coincidentally, both the year the first section of the Capital Beltway was opened, and the year the Minnesota Twins started playing in the Twin Cities).  And no, I'm not an O's fan:  My teams are the Cleveland Indians, followed by the Atlanta Braves... a decent rivalry in its own right, but also which does not meet the qualifications set forth in this article. -- SwissCelt 00:48, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

Suggestions for (true) rivalries
Now that we've ridded this article of non-notable rivalries, we're left with precious few rivalries to show for all the fanaticism we baseball fans give for the game. Unfortunately, most of the intraleague rivalries aren't given catchy names as the interleague rivalries are. Here are a few that come to my mind which might be included if someone can come up with compelling research for their inclusion (as, after all, Wikipedia is no place for original research):


 * Marlins-Phillies: just look at the fight that almost broke down this year between both teams. they've hated each other for years now user:racerboyGTR
 * Rangers - Angels: These two teams have been playing since 1971, and command high ratings for Spanish-language broadcasts.
 * Mets - Braves: The NL version of the storied Yankees - Red Sox rivalry.  I seem to recall recent series' being accompanied by banter (and maybe even a side bet) between the morning news programs on Fox's New York and Atlanta affiliates.
 * Reds - Pirates: I think this one was actually included before, as the "Ohio River Showdown".  This is unfortunate, as having lived in both markets, I've never heard it referred to as that.  Even so, it's still a strong rivalry for both teams, and featured pennant implications (and actual playoff matchups) during the 1970's and again in the 1990's.  It's also a very long rivalry, dating back to 1900.

Any others? -- SwissCelt 01:29, 27 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I have to agree about Mets/Braves. After what are usually considered the three historic rivalries in baseball (Yankees/Red Sox, Giants/Dodgers, and Cubs/Cardinals), Mets/Braves is certainly a viable consideration for the 'fourth spot'. Hey, if you can garner a Top 10 of memorable moments between two teams, then you probably have a rivalry worth mention, and these two teams could easily bring discussion of 20+ such moments, such as Mike Piazza's go-ahead homer in the first sporting event in New York after the 9/11 Attacks. 24.186.215.182 01:03, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

Real Rivalries
Look, only a few rivalries matter in baseball: Red Sox-Yankees, Cubs-Cardinals, Giants-Dodgers, and a few of the crosstown interleague series' (Cubs-White Sox, Yankees-Mets, etc.). The rest listed in the article are just filler; I mean, Twins-Athletics?!?! Let's just list every possible series imaginable and comment with glee on how full Tropicana Field is when the Devil Rays play the Pirates. At the very least, the real rivalries listed at the top should be mentioned first in the article and set aside in a place of honor. Then you can list interleague rivalries and then put another section in of "Recent Rivalries"; this is where the Juice-Beer Series and the like can go if you really need to list them. Roofi&#39;s Publicist 00:51, 3 August 2006 (UTC)


 * There are too many redlinks, especially in the AL section. Tigers-Blue Jays? Not even close. Yankees-Blue Jays? I wouldn't consider some of them rivalries. Just because some teams are in the same division doesn't exactly define them as rivals. All 30 teams want to win one thing - the World Series. That doesn't mean we're going to list all possible combinations of 15 matchups. I changed the tag to "not verified." -- Win777 21:02, 7 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Actually here in Oakland we hate the twins for some reason. But what about Athletics-Yankees?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.132.200.17 (talk) 04:05, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

Items removed from List as deleted articles

 * Devil Rays-Red Sox rivalry: Deleted 4 December 2006; see Articles for deletion/Devil Rays-Red Sox rivalry --User:Ceyockey ( talk to me ) 02:44, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Red Sox vs. Angels
Red Sox/Angels isn't a true rivalry until the "other" team wins, so this one will be on the backburner pending the result from this year's American League Division Series matchup between the two teams, a rematch of last year's Division Series. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DaDoc540 (talk • contribs) 01:47, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Update: Whoops, I guess the Sawx sent the Halos fishing again.

DaDoc540 (talk) 03:58, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Red Sox-Rays rivalry
Here is a nice article that illustrates the bad blood behind this budding rivalry:

| Rays-Red Sox Bad Blood

It might be too early to start a page for this rivalry, but in the near future, we could see this.

DaDoc540 (talk) 04:02, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Update: The recently started article about the Red Sox-Rays Rivalry is up now, though I think it might be too soon. In the meantime, the article needs some major organization. History between the franchises throughout their coexistance should be included. Perhaps a mention how the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame is located at the Trop could be added.

DaDoc540 (talk) 01:01, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Purging of non-notable rivalries
I've taken the liberty of cleansing the article of all the redlinks and any rivalry that didn't already have an article. Most of the "rivalries" listed were simply division or league foes, and there didn't seem to be any sort of significance or notability Yankees-Red Sox or Dodges-Giants rivalries do. And while credit goes to the creative nomenclature (well, basically calling any matchup "Battle of ____"), but they were almost all original research or just making stuff up. I've also PRODed a couple of the dubious ones, Red Sox-Rays rivalry and the Battle For Pennsylvania (!--Mosmof (talk) 02:19, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

A Red Sox-Rays rivalry? Le's get serious. A rivalry is built up over years. The Rays beat the Red Sox in ALCS competition one year and they are considered rivals? Only a Rays fan would consider that a rivalry, and that only because it makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Merge discussion
I will be merging this list to the List of sports rivalries list considering nothing have been done to clean up this list, plus that list is less of a mess compared to this one. Also for the fact neither of these wto entries are any different to each other other than that the proposed merged list has a table. I am looking to carrying out this out within next week. Donnie Park (talk) 13:23, 17 April 2010 (UTC)