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Four Things To Know About The Dodgers-Giants Rivalry

October 7, 2021 / 5:59 PM PDT / KCAL News

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - After knocking off the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League wild-card game on Wednesday thanks to Chris Taylor's walk-off two-run homer, the Dodgers travel to San Francisco to face their archrival, the Giants for Game 1 and 2 of the NLDS.

This will be the first ever postseason meeting between the two rivals. They have faced each other twice in a tiebreaker series. In 1951, the New York Giants topped the then Brooklyn Dodgers thanks to Bobby Thompson's walk-off homerun, more famously known as The Shot Heard 'Round the World.

Here are four things to know about the Dodgers-Giants rivalry ahead of Friday's Game 1 of the NLDS:

Jackie Robinson (right) of the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier this season as the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues, crosses home plate after hitting his first home run as a Dodger, off New York Giants' pitcher Dave Rosolo. Teammate Tommy Tatum, next up to bat, offers a congratulatory handshake as Giants catcher Walker Cooper looks on. The Giants opened their home season at the Polo Grounds with a victory over the Dodgers.

The Dodgers and Giants faced off against each other in the 1889 World Series. However, postseason games prior to 1903 were considered exhibitions, according to Baseball Reference. Back then, the Dodgers were formerly known as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
This will be the first meeting in the regular season or postseason between two teams with at least 105 wins. The Dodgers (106-56) failed to catch the Giants (107-55) for the top spot in the NL West despite winning the most games by a defending World Series champion since 1969. San Francisco's remarkable 2021 campaign ultimately snapped Los Angeles' eight-year run as the NL West champions.
The Dodgers and Giants head-to-head series has recorded some incredible moments over the years. In 2004, with the Dodgers ahead two games in the division with two to play, Los Angeles overcame a 3-0 ninth-inning deficit, capped off by Steve Finley's walk-off grand slam.

Steve Finley of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a grand-slam home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants to clinch the National League West Division title at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
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That punched the Dodgers' ticket into the postseason for the first time since 1996. In 2001, Giants slugger Barry Bonds set the single-season record for homeruns by hitting No. 71, 72 and 73 against the Dodgers in the final series of that season. The Dodgers however eliminated San Francisco from postseason contention by winning the series.
The Giants lead the all-time head-to-head series against the Dodgers 1269-1248. After facing each other 19 times during the regular season, which San Francisco won 10-9, we get one final chance to watch these two historic clubs battle it out in 2021.