Padres and Dodgers: A Rivalry Worth Noticing
SAN DIEGO – The Padres have been a constant presence in the league for the past few years.
The playoff race is heating up, and this ongoing rivalry, particularly with the Dodgers, has subtly pushed both teams to perform better.
There’s no question about the success of both Southern California teams.
The rivalry has been intense, to say the least.
Yet, having the Padres as a thorn in the side and a strong divisional competitor has been beneficial for the Dodgers, especially during their impressive run over the last five years.
“When you have a team like that… it’s not just pressure to win, but you feel compelled to keep pushing forward,” said veteran infielder Miguel Rojas. “Having teams in the same division keeps us on our toes.”
This familiar energy is recognizable again early this season.
As they gear up for their first game of the season on Monday night at Petco Park, the Padres trail the Dodgers by just half a game in the National League West.
Of course, not much attention is on the standings right now. Before this week’s match, the Dodgers were trying to downplay the significance of the game, suggesting it’s just another divisional matchup in mid-May.
“It’s always a tough series when we play here,” manager Dave Roberts remarked. “But I wouldn’t call this a measuring stick.”
Still, there’s an undeniable buzz about the looming competition in the National League West.
“I think we can expect a competitive season,” Roberts added.
The Padres consistently show up in the mix.
“We push each other to be better, and I think that’s a plus for us, for baseball, and for Southern California,” he noted ahead of this week’s series.
In the past, the two teams rarely found themselves on equal footing.
In the first 51 years of the NL West, only twice (in 1996 and 2006) did they both finish among the top two.
However, since 2020, this situation has occurred five times, including each of the last three seasons. Their last showdown in October was a memorable three-game series in the National League Division Series.
The standout moment was the Padres’ unexpected upset in the 2022 NLDS. This was a crucial moment for the Dodgers, who faced the reality of not being able to match the Padres’ intensity in a shocking four-game defeat.
Conversely, the Dodgers’ comeback in the 2024 NLDS marked a pivotal step on their journey to winning back-to-back World Series titles.
“Even if it was just five games, that series felt like an entire season,” said Quique Hernandez during the previous playoffs, highlighting how that moment helped the Dodgers overcome their October hurdles. “We adopted a mentality of resilience.”
Last fall didn’t see a rematch in the postseason as the Padres were knocked out in the wild card round and the Dodgers reigned supreme once again.
Nonetheless, in the regular season, while the Dodgers struggled in the second half, the Padres almost took over the division lead, holding first place until August 23.
This dynamic has indirectly benefited the Dodgers, Rojas explained.
“The last three years taught me that you need to experience that playoff intensity at some point in the season,” he said. “Going into a series against the Padres pushes us to think, ‘We really need to win this one.’ That kind of pressure prepares us for what follows.”
The rivalry only escalates the competition.
From Manny Machado throwing the ball toward Roberts during the 2024 NLDS to a heated series at Dodger Stadium last June, where tempers flared and caused a bench-clearing scuffle, the rivalry has had its fiery moments. Players have taken to the media to exchange jabs, with some even reluctant to discuss the Padres publicly.
“This series is filled with emotion and high energy,” Roberts said.
This rivalry has proven advantageous for the Dodgers, giving a team often seen as baseball’s villains a worthy nemesis to spar with.
“We have three games left in the regular season, and we must keep that in mind without getting overly dramatic,” Rojas noted. “Still, it definitely feels like a different series.”
