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The Dodgers-Yankees Rivalry

These two teams (which now play on opposite sides of the country) have been rivals since they met at the 1941 World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Bronx-repping Yankees 4-7 in 1941. This spurred rivalry that has lasted decades.

ByCenter for Brooklyn History logoCenter for Brooklyn History
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Ready for the game! Young fans cheer for the Dodgers, who represented the borough of Brooklyn. The team was established in 1883 as the "Brooklyn Grays." They changed their name after being nicknamed "Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers" which perhaps referred to their speed and agility.
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The Yankees took on their own series of names. They were the Orioles in Baltimore and the Highlanders when they played at Hilltop Park in Washington Heights. They finally took the name "Yankees" after they moved to the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants. They moved to Yankee Stadium in the 1920s.
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The Dodgers and the Yankees have faced off 11 times. The Dodgers moved to LA in 1963, but this rivalry didn't fizzle out by any means.
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The games in these photos each took place between 1947 and 1953. In this period, the Dodgers lost to the Yankees four times. Brooklyn fans would chant "Wait 'til next year!" in solidarity with their beloved team.
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And "next year" came indeed: in 1955 Dodgers won the World Series. However, it wasn't meant to last. The Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles (The team's owner Water O'Malley and planning commissioner Robert Moses couldn't see eye to eye over plans for a new stadium.)
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The Dodgers and Yankees were part of the first Subway Series. These series of games between Major League Baseball teams based in New York City also included the Mets and the Giants. The name (which any New York baseball fan is undoubtedly familiar with) remains today, though the number of teams it applies to have shrunk.
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These historic rivals haven't met int a World Series since 1981. They still have played in a few interleague series though - the most recent in 2016.
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