Location | Greater Los Angeles |
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First meeting | June 17, 1997 [1] Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Angels 3, Dodgers 4 |
Latest meeting | July 8, 2023 [1] Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Angels 5, Dodgers, 10 |
Next meeting | June 21, 2024 Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 144 [2] |
Most wins | Angels |
Regular season series | Angels, 73–71 (.507) [1] |
Largest victory | |
Longest win streak | |
Current win streak | Dodgers, 10 [1] |
The Freeway Series is a Major League Baseball (MLB) interleague rivalry played between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Angels are members of the American League (AL) West division, and the Dodgers are members of the National League (NL) West division. The series takes its name from the massive freeway system in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the home of both teams; one could travel from one team's stadium to the other simply by driving along the Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5). The term is akin to Subway Series which refers to meetings between New York City baseball teams The Yankees and The Mets. The term "Freeway Series" also inspired the official name of the region's NHL rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks: the Freeway Face-Off . [5] It is, and always has been, played as a pre-season series and it is not counted in either teams standings. It is also not to be confused with the regular season games played between the two teams that have been a part of both teams schedules since the introduction of Interleague Play and played during the regular season schedule and that count towards their respective standings.
The rise of Southern California as a major region of the United States brought about a significant economic rivalry between neighboring Los Angeles and Orange counties.
To many living outside of Southern California, the entire region is often simply referred to as "LA", associating Los Angeles and Orange counties with the same stereotypes and preconceptions. However, the two counties differ sharply in political ideology, socioeconomic status, and demographics.
Los Angeles County is considered more liberal, and is represented by a more ethnically diverse population, while Orange County was known to be one of the most conservative areas in the state. [6] This divide led to the Los Angeles/Orange county line being colloquially referred to as the Orange Curtain.
This can be somewhat misleading, though, because the older, more urban, cities of northern and central Orange County (Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Buena Park, etc.) are much more in tune with Los Angeles County cities than their southern Orange County counterparts. These older Orange County cities are much less homogeneous than the south, and the income levels and demographics represent this.
In recent years, coinciding with the postseason success of the Dodgers and the growing postseason drought for the Angels, gameday experiences for each team have drastically changed (with a Dodgers game costing much more money to attend than an Angels game) [7] because of this the economic situations of each fanbase have experienced a sort of role reversal. Another contributing factor of the changing fanbases of both franchises is the ownership of the Angels by Arte Moreno (the first Mexican-American to own a major sports team in the United States) which has led to a significant growth of its Hispanic and Latino American fanbase. [8] This has even become a contributing factor toward players such as Anthony Rendon choosing to sign with the Angels over that of the Dodgers. [9]
The Freeway Series began as a pre-season exhibition series regularly played between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers at their respective regular season ballparks during the final days of each pre-season. The first exhibition game between the two clubs took place on April 2, 1962, which saw the Angels beat the Dodgers 6–5 in Palm Springs, at the time the spring training home of the Angels. The first pre-season series was played at Dodger Stadium, at the time the home ballpark of both teams April 6–7, 1963. The Angels won both of the two games played. The Dodgers and Angels continued playing spring training exhibition games against one another in 1964. On the eve of the Angels' 1966 move to Anaheim Stadium, the series paused for the 1965 pre-season and did not resume until the 1969 pre-season. The exhibition Freeway Series has mostly persisted since its 1969, with only occasional skipped years in 1972, 1980 and 2000-02 pre-seasons, [10] the latter of which was the result of bad blood that developed between the teams' front offices following the Dodgers' late cancellation of the 2000 pre-season Freeway Series to play the New York Yankees, which left the Angels to scramble to find a last minute replacement club to play. While the novelty and transition of the exhibition Freeway Series lost much of its luster following MLB's adoption of regular season interleague play, the exhibition Freeway Series continues to this day. Generally, the exhibition Freeway Series is two or three games, with at least one game played at each of Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium between the end of the Cactus League and Opening Day, and is extremely well attended for preseason games (for example, the average attendance for the 2023 preseason Freeway Series was 36,108. [11]
In anticipation of the Angels moving to Anaheim for the 1966 season, the Angels renamed as the "California Angels". They would keep this name from late-1965 to 1996 and rename as the "Anaheim Angels" from 1997 to 2004. After the Angels added Los Angeles to their official name in 2005 (as the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"), the rivalry took on renewed interest, as the series took on a more intracity atmosphere. Throughout the 2005 season, Dodger Stadium listed the Angels as "ANA" on its out-of-town scoreboard and team schedules, as it was prior to Angels' name change. However, the Dodgers now post "LAA" on both their scoreboard and schedules. Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully refers to the team as just the Angels when mentioning them on the air. Dodgers tickets still refer to the Angels as the "Anaheim Angels." As of the 2011 season, however, the Angels' out-of-town scoreboard in right field still lists the Dodgers by their pre-2005 "LA" abbreviation instead of "LAD". The Angels' name change was largely opposed by the Dodgers organization, city and county of Los Angeles, Anaheim, every other city in Orange County, and fans on both sides. The prevailing argument was that the Angels did not play within Los Angeles county limits, and that adding LA to the name inaccurately represented the location and background of the team's fans. The Angels' ownership countered that bringing the Los Angeles name to the American League was beneficial to the entire region and organization. [12] Furthermore, the Census Bureau's definition of Greater Los Angeles includes Orange County in its definition, and the Angels have always used Los Angeles stations to broadcast their TV and radio games. The adding of the "Los Angeles" to the Angels name still causes some resentment in the minds of both Angel and Dodger fans today.[ citation needed ]
Regular- and post-season games between the two teams take place at either Angel Stadium of Anaheim or Dodger Stadium. The two stadiums are located approximately 30 miles (48 km) apart, [13] and take approximately 40–50 minutes to travel via Metrolink or Amtrak from their closest stations, Los Angeles Union Station and the Anaheim Station. [14]
At one point, both teams were owned by major media conglomerates: the Angels had been owned by the Walt Disney Company, [15] and the Dodgers were owned by News Corporation (each company owned one of the MLB broadcast partners, with News Corporation changing its name to 21st Century Fox in 2013, and subsequently being purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 2019). [15] Both teams have been sold in recent years.
During the 2002 World Series, there was a moment of peace in the rivalry as a result of the nightmares the Dodgers and their fans were facing because the Angels played the San Francisco Giants, the fierce in-state rivals of the Dodgers. [16] [17] [18] The Los Angeles Times called the series "the Dodgers' 'Nightmare Series.'" [15] The New York Post called it "the worst-scenario World Series for the Dodgers." [18] The San Francisco Chronicle called the series "a Dodger fan's worst nightmare." [19] The Dodgers and their fans, including Chairman Bob Daly and former manager Tommy Lasorda, rooted for the eventual champions and attended their games in Anaheim. [16] [17] [18] Lasorda was at Game 2 and stood behind the batting cage and said that he's a big fan of Angels manager Mike Scioscia (Scioscia had spent his entire 13 year playing career with the Dodgers). [20] Daly attended Game 7 and sat near the Angels dugout, as a fan of late Angels owner Gene Autry. [21] This series was the Angels first championship, while the Dodgers' most recent title came in the 2020 World Series.
History was made in 2014 when two MVPs were chosen from the same metropolitan area with the Angels outfielder Mike Trout winning the American League MVP and Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw winning National League MVP for the year. This occurred again in 2019 when the Angels' Trout and Dodgers' Cody Bellinger won their league's respective MVP awards. [22] [23]
Another recent point of contention between the two fanbases occurred on December 9, 2023 when Angels’ star Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for $700 million which lead to some Angels fans dubbing Ohtani a "traitor" and "sell-out". [24] Following the firing of Ippei Mizuhara in 2024 due to his theft of $4.5 million from Ohtani for sports betting, animosity towards Ohtani's departure from Angels fans only grew. The first regular season meetings between the two teams since the signing will take place on June 21, 2024 at Dodger Stadium and September 3, 2024 at Angel Stadium.
Team | World Series Titles | League pennants | Division titles | Wild Card Berths | Playoff Appearances | World Series Appearances | All-time Regular Season record | Win Percentage | Seasons played |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Angels [25] | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4,958–5,016–3 | .497 | 63 |
Los Angeles Dodgers [26] | 7 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 28 | 12 | 5,710–4,724–6 | .547 | 66 |
Combined | 8 | 13 | 30 | 4 | 38 | 13 | 10,668–9,740–9 | .523 | 66 in LA 129 total |
Note: Dodgers records only from 1958 when they moved to Los Angeles.
As of October 2, 2023.
LAA vs. LAD | Angels wins | Dodgers wins | Angels runs | Dodgers runs |
---|---|---|---|---|
Regular season | 73 | 71 | 599 | 604 |
Updated to most recent meeting, July 8, 2023.
Angels vs. Dodgers Season-by-Season Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1990s (Dodgers, 9–5)
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2000s (Angels, 36–24)
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2010s (Angels, 29–21)
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2020s (Dodgers, 17–3)
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Summary of Results
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As of 2023, the two sides have never met in the postseason. To meet in the postseason would require that they both advance to the World Series in the same year. To date, the two teams have made the playoffs in the same year four times: 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2014. In 2004, both teams lost in their respective Division Series, whereas in 2008 the Angels lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3–1 in the Division Series while the Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs 3–0 and lost to the eventual champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1 in the National League Championship Series. In 2009, both teams advanced to their respective League Championship Series. The Angels lost the ALCS 4–2 to the eventual champion New York Yankees, while the Dodgers lost the NLCS to the Phillies, 4–1. The Angels' only World Series win and appearance came in 2002, while the Dodgers' most recent win came in their championship season of 2020.
In 2014, both teams finished first in their respective divisions. However, the Angels were swept, 3–0, by the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS, while the Dodgers lost 3–1 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and assumed several other monikers before finally settling on the name Dodgers in 1932. From the 1940s through the mid-1950s, the Dodgers developed a fierce crosstown rivalry with the New York Yankees as the two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955. It was also during this period that the Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the debut of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues since 1884. Another major milestone was reached in 1956 when Don Newcombe became the first player ever to win both the Cy Young Award and the NL MVP in the same season.
Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the ballpark for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of US$23 million. It is the oldest ballpark in MLB west of the Mississippi River, and third-oldest overall, after Fenway Park in Boston (1912) and Wrigley Field in Chicago (1914), and is the largest baseball stadium in the world by seat capacity. Often referred to as a "pitcher's ballpark", the stadium has seen 13 no-hitters, two of which were perfect games. In addition, Dodger Stadium has been deemed the most popular MLB stadium on social media.
Arturo "Arte" Moreno is an American businessman. On May 15, 2003, he became the first Mexican-American to own a major sports team in the United States when he purchased the Anaheim Angels baseball team from the Walt Disney Company. In August 2022, he announced that he would explore a possible sale of the franchise, but in January 2023, he decided not to sell the team.
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, better known simply as Angel Stadium, is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening 58 years ago in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels. It also served as the home stadium of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1994.
Thomas Charles Lasorda was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997.
Michael Lorri Scioscia, nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe", is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels from the 2000 season through the 2018 season, and was the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball and second-longest-tenured coach/manager in the "Big Four", behind only Gregg Popovich at the time of his retirement. As a player, Scioscia made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980. He was selected to two All-Star Games and won two World Series over the course of his 13-year MLB career, which was spent entirely with the Dodgers; this made him the only person in MLB history to spend his entire playing career with one team and entire managing career with another team with 10+ years in both places. He was signed by the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers late in his career, but never appeared in a major league game for either team due to injury.
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
City of Anaheim v. Angels Baseball LP is a lawsuit filed in Orange County, California Superior Court by the city of Anaheim, California, against the owners of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Major League Baseball franchise, concerning the team's official name. The lawsuit and a related political and public relations battle sought to reverse the team's official name change from Anaheim Angels to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which the city characterized as a breach of the team's lease on the city-owned Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The city was unsuccessful, as both a trial jury and an appellate court ruled in the team's favor.
The Dodgers–Giants rivalry is a rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is regarded as one of the fiercest and longest-standing rivalries in American baseball, with some observers considering it the greatest sports rivalry of all time.
The Bay Bridge Series, or the Battle of the Bay, is a series of baseball games played between—and the rivalry of—Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics of the American League and San Francisco Giants of the National League. The series takes its name from the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge which links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. As of 2018, the winner of the annual series retains a trophy fashioned from a piece of the original bridge.
The 1988 season was a memorable one for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a squad that was picked to finish fourth wound up winning the World Series, beating the heavily favored New York Mets and Oakland Athletics along the way. Kirk Gibson carried the Dodger offense, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Orel Hershiser dominated on the mound, throwing a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings on his way to winning the Cy Young Award.
The 1976 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season in second place in the National League West. The big news was when long-time manager of two decades Walter Alston resigned abruptly near the end of the season and was replaced by Tommy Lasorda who would manage the team for two decades himself.
The Los Angeles Angels are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The "Angels" name originates from the city that was their original home, Los Angeles, and was inspired by a minor league club of the same name. The Angels were established in 1961, and have played their home games at Angel Stadium since 1966.
The Freeway Face-Off is an ice hockey rivalry between the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The series takes its name from the massive freeway system in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the home of both teams; one could travel from one team's arena to the other simply by traveling along Interstate 5. The term is akin to the Freeway Series, which refers to meetings between the Los Angeles metropolitan area's Major League Baseball teams, the Dodgers and the Angels.
Throughout its history, Major League Baseball rivalries have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones including geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, various incidents, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.
The 2012 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season was the franchise's 52nd season and 47th in Anaheim. The Angels would miss the playoffs for the third straight season, finishing third in the American League West at 89–73.
The 2018 Los Angeles Angels season was the 58th season of the Angels franchise and the 53rd in Anaheim. The Angels began the season on March 29 against the Oakland Athletics and ended the season on September 30 also against the A's. Manager Mike Scioscia retired at the end of the season.
The Angels–Athletics rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) divisional rivalry played between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics. Both teams compete as member clubs of the American League (AL) West division, and both teams have grown a steady rivalry since the Athletics' relocation to California and to the AL West in 1968. Though not as intense as the Dodgers–Giants rivalry equivalent in the National League (NL) West; the A's and Angels have often battled for the division title on numerous occasions, with the added animosity between Northern and Southern California fueling the matchups. Despite this; the Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas possibly for the 2025 season likely wouldn't exclude geography as a factor, as Las Vegas is closer in proximity to Southern California. The Athletics lead the series 533–486, and the two teams have yet to meet in the postseason.
Now that we have the Freeway Faceoff between the Kings and Ducks to go along with the Freeway Series between the Dodgers and Angels, we need a name for this. It might be difficult to incorporate 'freeway' into it, though, since they share the same building. Maybe we could call it the 'We took the same freeway as you did to get here tipoff.' Or, 'The showdown at the intersection of the 10 and 110 freeways.'
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Dodgers fans look to the Angels coaching staff—former Dodgers Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, Ron Roenicke and Alfredo Griffin—as another reason to like the Angels...The Southern California connection, as well as the north-south divide, also plays a role...Most true-blue Dodgers fans are looking beyond Mickey Mouse and are hoping the Angels reduce the Giants to gnats.
The way Angel Manager Mike Scioscia figures it, Dodger fans will be rooting for the Angels during the World Series, if only as the lesser of two evils. As a former Dodger catcher, Scioscia is well aware that a Dodger fan's two favorite teams are the Dodgers and whoever is playing the Giants.
This is the worst-scenario World Series for the Dodgers...San Francisco is the Dodgers' most hated NL rival. The Angels are the Dodgers' neighbors to the south...'This is not a good situation for the Dodgers,' (Paul) Lo Duca admitted. But he said because he has a relationship with Scioscia and former Dodger coaches and current Angel coaches Mickey Hatcher and Ron Roenicke, it would be easy for him to root for Anaheim.
This Series is a Dodger fan's worst nightmare.
Although Lasorda could never cheer for any team other than the Dodgers, he obviously is a big Scioscia fan, who spent his entire pro career as a Dodger under Lasorda.
There was little doubt where Dodger Chairman Bob Daly's allegiances were...—the Brooklyn native was seated two rows behind the Angel dugout for Game 7...'I grew up...loving Gene Autry, so for me this was easy,' Daly said of the late Angel owner. 'The Angels...have a good team,...played very well, and...I've enjoyed it.'