Great Sports Rivalries
The Greatest Rivalries in American Sports - By the Numbers
Red Sox vs. Yankees & Dodgers vs. Giants
No sport in America has as rich a history as baseball and no rivalry in professional sports comes close to the tradition and passion associated with baseball's top feuds: Red Sox-Yankees and Dodgers-Giants.
The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is cited by most as the best rivalry in baseball's history largely because of the New York's media stranglehold on nostalgia and narrative. The rivalry has been decidedly one-sided, fostering a David vs. Goliath theme to the clashes. That said, since 1999 the rivalry has had the greatest run of any rivalry, ever.
The Dodgers-Giants rivalry is entirely different. Surviving the move from New York to California, the rivalry has been extremely well-balanced and more consistently relevant. Despite its back-and-forth nature, however, the passions are far inferior to Sox-Yanks and their hasn't been a great pennant race for some time. Please also check out a more comprehensive history at Dodgers-Giants.com.
I used Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for all of the stats. A comparison of the two rivalries is at the bottom of this page.
RED SOX-YANKEES
The Dodgers-Giants rivalry is entirely different. Surviving the move from New York to California, the rivalry has been extremely well-balanced and more consistently relevant. Despite its back-and-forth nature, however, the passions are far inferior to Sox-Yanks and their hasn't been a great pennant race for some time. Please also check out a more comprehensive history at Dodgers-Giants.com.
I used Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for all of the stats. A comparison of the two rivalries is at the bottom of this page.
Last updated October 21, 2011
RED SOX-YANKEES
Head-to-Head Wins
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|
|
| 101 | 1900s | 86 |
| 115 | 1910s | 94 |
| 71 | 1920s | 149 |
| 80 | 1930s | 136 |
| 98 | 1940s | 122 |
| 93 | 1950s | 126 |
| 83 | 1960s | 101 |
| 89 | 1970s | 79 |
| 60 | 1980s | 63 |
| 60 | 1990s | 64 |
| 83 | 2000s | 94 |
|
21 |
2010s |
15 |
| 954 | Total | 1132 |
| 14 Ties |
| 2011 Schedule | |||||
|
Red Sox won the 2011 season series 12-6 |
|||||
| 4/8 | NY 6, @BOS 9 |
6/7 | BOS 6, @NY 4 | 8/30 | NY 5, @BOS 2 |
| 4/9 | NY 9, @BOS 4 | 6/8 | BOS 11, @NY 6 | 8/31 | NY 5, @BOS 9 |
| 4/10 | NY 0, @BOS 4 |
6/9 | BOS 8, @NY 3 | 9/1 | NY 4, @BOS 2 |
| 5/13 | BOS 5, @NY 4 | 8/5 | NY 3, @BOS 2 | 9/24 | BOS 1, @NY 9 |
| 5/14 | BOS 6, @NY 0 | 8/6 | NY 4, @BOS 10 | 9/25 | BOS 2, @NY 6 |
| 5/15 | BOS 7, @NY 5 | 8/7 | NY 2, @BOS 3 (10) | 9/25 | BOS 7, @NY 4 (14) |
| Series Notes | ||
| Red Sox |
|
Yankees |
|
|
|
| 216 (.545) |
Wins Pre-Babe Ruth Trade |
180 (.454) |
| 738 (.437) |
Wins Post-Babe Ruth Trade |
952 (.563) |
| 527-523-7 | Home Record | 609-427-7 |
|
9218 4.39/gm |
Runs Scored |
10043 4.78/gm |
|
271 |
1-Run Wins (28% of Total) |
317 |
|
258 |
5+ Run Wins (28% of Total) |
327 |
|
65 |
Extra-Inning Wins* (3 Ties) |
76 |
| 113 | Shutouts Thrown | 153 |
| 1 | ALCS Series Won | 2 |
| 8 | ALCS Games Won | 11 |
| 0 | Tiebreaker Playoff Wins | 1 |
|
17 10/3/1911-7/1/1912 |
Longest Winning Streak |
12 5/27/1936-8/23/1936 8/16/1952-4/23/1953 |
|
17 5/28/2005 7/15/2005 |
Most Runs Scored |
24 9/28/1923 |
| 2 | No-Hitters Thrown | 3 |
|
Highest Scoring Game: 31 Runs (Yankees 20-11, 8/21/2009) |
||
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Longest Game*: 20 Innings (Yankees 4-3, 8/29/1967) |
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* Extra-inning game information incomplete (1918-Present)
| Season Series Records | |||||
| 1900s | Red Sox 6-2-1 | 1950s | Yankees 8-1-1 | 2000s |
Yankees 7-1-2 |
| 1910s | Red Sox 5-3-2 | 1960s | Yankees 5-3-2 | 2010s | Red Sox 1-0-1 |
| 1920s | Yankees 9-1 | 1970s | Red Sox 5-4-1 | ||
| 1930s | Yankees 8-1-1 | 1980s | Red Sox 6-3-1 | ||
| 1940s | Yankees 6-3-1 | 1990s | Yankees 6-4 | Total | Yankees 61-37-13 |
| 1-2 Finishes | |||
| AL 1901-1968 |
AL East 1969-Present Wild Card 1994-Present |
||
| 1904 | Red Sox by 1.5 games | 1977 | Yankees by 2.5 |
| 1938 | Yankees by 9.5 | 1978* | Yankees by 1 |
| 1939 | Yankees by 17 | 1986 | Red Sox by 5.5 |
| 1941 | Yankees by 17 | 1995 | Red Sox by 7 |
| 1942 | Yankees by 9 | 1998* | Yankees by 22 |
| 1949 | Yankees by 1 | 1999 | Yankees by 4 |
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2000 | Yankees by 2.5 |
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2001 | Yankees by 13.5 |
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2002 | Yankees by 10.5 |
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2003 | Yankees by 6 |
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2004 | Yankees by 3 |
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2005* |
Yankees by tiebreaker Red Sox get WC |
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2007 | Red Sox by 2 |
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2009 | Yankees by 8 |
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* Top 2 records in AL |
| Season Finishes | |||
| Both teams finished .500 or better in the same season 57 times (51% of 111 seasons) | |||
| Both teams finished below .500 in the same season 6 times (5% of 111 seasons) | |||
| The Yankees finished with a better record in 75 seasons | |||
| The Red Sox finished with a better record in 35 seasons | |||
| Franchise Histories | |
| (AL Rank/MLB Rank); Through 2011 | |
|
|
|
| First Year : 1901 (1/9) | First Year : 1901 (1/9) |
| Wins : 8909 (2/10) | Wins : 9767 (1/8) |
| Win Pct : .518 (2/5) | Win Pct : .568 (1/1) |
| Pennants : 12 (3/8) | Pennants : 40 (1/1) |
| World Series : 7 (3/4) | World Series : 27 (1/1) |
|
Hall of Famers : 36 (3/9) |
Hall of Famers : 43 (1/4) |
|
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Players: 33 |
|
Players: 37 |
|
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Managers: 3 |
|
Managers: 6 |
| Played As | |
|
Boston Red Sox (1908-Present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) |
New York Yankees (1913-Present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) |
| Retired Numbers | |||
| 1 |
Bobby Doerr |
1 |
Billy Martin |
|
4 |
Joe Cronin |
3 |
Babe Ruth |
|
6 |
Johnny Pesky |
4 |
Lou Gehrig |
|
8 |
Carl Yastrzemski |
5 |
Joe DiMaggio |
|
9 |
Ted Williams |
7 |
Mickey Mantle |
|
14 |
Jim Rice |
8 |
Yogi Berra |
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27 |
Carlton Fisk |
8 |
Bill Dickey |
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9 |
Roger Maris |
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10 |
Phil Rizzuto |
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15 |
Thurman Munson |
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16 |
Whitey Ford |
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23 |
Don Mattingly |
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32 |
Elston Howard |
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37 |
Casey Stengel |
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44 |
Reggie Jackson |
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49 |
Ron Guidry |
DODGERS-GIANTS
Head-to-Head Wins
 
|
 
|
|
| 65 | 1890s | 72 |
| 80 | 1900s | 128 |
| 88 | 1910s | 125 |
| 106 | 1920s | 113 |
| 98 | 1930s | 120 |
| 137 | 1940s | 82 |
| 117 | 1950s | 106 |
| 83 | 1960s | 108 |
| 108 | 1970s | 72 |
| 95 | 1980s | 79 |
| 70 | 1990s | 70 |
| 94 | 2000s | 86 |
|
17 |
2010s |
19 |
| 1158 | Total | 1180 |
| 17 Ties |
| 2011 Schedule | |||||
|
The 2011 season series was tied 9-9 |
|||||
| 3/31 | SF 1, @LA 2 | 4/13 | LA 3, @SF 4 | 9/9 | LA 2, @SF 1 |
| 4/1 | SF 3, @LA 4 | 5/18 | SF 8, @LA 5 | 9/10 | LA 3, @SF 0 |
| 4/2 | SF 10, @LA 0 | 5/19 | SF 3, @LA 1 | 9/11 | LA 1, @SF 8 |
| 4/3 | SF 5, @LA 7 | 7/18 | LA 0, @SF 5 | 9/20 | SF 1, @LA 2 |
| 4/11 | LA 6, @SF 1 | 7/19 | LA 3, @SF 5 | 9/21 | SF 8, @LA 5 |
| 4/12 | LA 4, @SF 5 | 7/20 | LA 1, @SF 0 | 9/22 | SF 2, @LA 8 |
| Series Notes | ||
| Dodgers |
|
Giants |
|
|
|
| 671 (.482) | New York Wins | 722 (.518) |
| 487 (.515) | California Wins | 458 (.485) |
| 622-550-8 | Home Record | 630-536-9 |
|
10125 4.30/gm |
Runs Scored |
10216 4.34/gm |
| 348 |
1-Run Wins (30% of Total) |
346 |
| 296 |
5+ Run Wins (25% of Total) |
300 |
|
89 |
Extra-Inning Wins* (4 Ties) |
76 |
| 176 | Shutouts Thrown | 166 |
| 0 | Tiebreaker Playoff Wins | 2 |
|
10 7/12/1953-9/6/1953 |
Longest Winning Streak |
12 10/2/1937-7/4/1938 |
|
21 8/6/1894 |
Most Runs Scored |
26 4/30/1944 |
| 6 | No-Hitters Thrown | 3 |
|
Highest Scoring Game: 34 Runs (Dodgers 19-15, 4/29/1930 & Giants 26-8, 4/30/1944) |
||
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Longest Game*: 17 Innings (Dodgers 4-3, 9/4/1943) |
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* Extra-inning game information incomplete (1918-Present)
| Season Series Records | |||||
| 1890s | Giants 5-3-2 | 1940s | Dodgers 8-1-1 |
1990s |
Dodgers 4-3-3 |
| 1900s | Giants 7-1-2 | 1950s | Dodgers 7-3 | 2000s | Dodgers 6-3-1 |
| 1910s | Giants 8-2 | 1960s | Giants 6-1-3 | 2010s | Giants 1-0-1 |
| 1920s | Giants 6-3-1 | 1970s | Dodgers 6-1-3 | ||
| 1930s | Giants 6-3-1 | 1980s | Dodgers 7-2-1 | Total | Giants 52-51-19 |
| 1-2 Finishes | |||
| NL 1890-1968 |
NL West 1969-Present Wild Card 1994-Present |
||
| 1920 | Dodgers by 7 games | 1971 | Giants by 1 |
| 1924 | Giants by 1.5 | 1994 | Dodgers by 3.5 |
| 1951 | Giants by 1 | 1997 | Giants by 2 |
| 1952 | Dodgers by 4.5 | 2000 | Giants by 11 |
| 1954 | Giants by 5 | 2002 | Giants by 3.5 (WC) |
| 1962 | Giants by 1 | 2003 | Giants by 15.5 |
| 1965 | Dodgers by 2 | 2004 | Dodgers by 2 |
| 1966 | Dodgers by 1.5 |
|
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| Season Finishes | |||
| Both teams finished .500 or better in the same season 47 times (39% of 122 seasons) | |||
| Both teams finished below .500 in the same season 7 times (6% of 122 seasons) | |||
| The Dodgers finished with a better record in 59 seasons | |||
| The Giants finished with a better record in 63 seasons | |||
| Franchise Histories | |
| (NL Rank/MLB Rank); Through 2011 | |
|
|
| First Year : 1884 (8/8) | First Year : 1883 (6/6) |
| Wins : 10217 (3/3) | Wins : 10436 (1/1) |
| Win Pct : .524 (2/3) | Win Pct : .538 (1/2) |
| Pennants : 22 (T1/T2) | Pennants : 21 (2/3) |
| World Series : 6 (T2/T5) | World Series : 6 (T2/T5) |
| Hall of Famers : 47 (2/2) | Hall of Famers : 53 (1/1) |
|
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Players: 41 |
|
Players: 51 |
|
|
Managers: 6 |
|
Managers: 2 |
| Played As | |
|
Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-Present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-12, 32-57) Brooklyn Robins (1914-31) Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1910, 13) Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888-90, 96-98) Brooklyn Grooms (1891-95) Brooklyn Grays (1885-87) Brooklyn Atlantics (1884) |
San Francisco Giants (1958-Present) New York Giants (1885-1957) New York Gothams (1883-84) |
| Retired Numbers | |||
| 1 | Pee Wee Reese | - | Christy Mathewson |
| 2 | Tommy Lasorda | - | John McGraw |
| 4 | Duke Snider | 3 | Bill Terry |
| 19 | Jim Gilliam | 4 | Mel Ott |
| 20 | Don Sutton | 11 | Carl Hubbell |
| 24 | Walter Alston | 20 | Monte Irvin |
| 32 | Sandy Koufax | 24 | Willie Mays |
| 39 | Roy Campanella | 27 | Juan Marichal |
| 42* | Jackie Robinson | 30 | Orlando Cepeda |
| 53 | Don Drysdale | 36 | Gaylord Perry |
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44 | Willie McCovey |
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* Also retired by all other MLB teams |
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Dodgers-Giants vs. Red Sox-Yankees
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| Series Comparisons | ||
| Dodgers-Giants |
Through 2011 |
Red Sox-Yankees |
|
|
  |
|
5/3/1890 |
First Game |
4/26/1901 |
|
Giants 1180-1158-17 |
All-Time Series |
Yankees 1132-954-14 |
|
Giants 52-51-19 |
Season Series Records |
Yankees 61-37-13 |
|
30% |
1-Run Games |
28% |
|
25% |
5+ Run Games |
28% |
|
165 |
Extra-Inning Games* |
141 |
|
2 |
Tiebreaker Playoffs |
1 |
|
0 |
LCS Meetings |
3 |
|
8 |
1-2 League Finishes |
9 |
|
6 |
1-2 Division Finishes |
14 |
|
39% |
Both .500+ Same Season |
51% |
|
6% |
Both Under .500 Same Season |
6% |
|
20653 |
Combined Total Wins |
18676 |
|
.530 |
Win % |
.543 |
|
43 |
Pennants |
52 |
|
12 |
World Series |
34 |
|
100 |
Hall of Famers |
79 |
* Extra-inning game information incomplete (1918-Present)
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